Amorra AU Week 2014
by Raven Hallowryn
Summary: A collection of all my written one-shots for Amorra AU Week 2014 (June 1st-7th).
1. Day 1-Arranged Marriage AU

Day 1: Arranged Marriage AU

_(Post-Book 2; more or less 8 years after Book 1)_

_Warnings: No real smut but explicit mentions to it._

_Rating: M (ish)?_

_Word Count: 8k words_

_Prompt: **Crib**_

~~~~~~.:oOo:.~~~~~~

He was nowhere to be found and it was getting a little irritating. True, the house was huge, simple but huge, and it could be tricky to find someone in there if one did not know all the little nooks, Korra knew them like the back of her hand but she was in no mood to search the whole house just to find the jerk.

The Avatar found herself strolling the garden with the pretext of finding who she was searching for but she actually just got distracted and needed some time to breathe.

There were no flowers in this garden, not in this chilly time of the year anyway, it was mostly bamboo, herbs, tea plants and fruit trees but of course everything growing here had to have some practical use, it was _his_ garden after all. She spotted something she had never seen there before and wondered where it came from- it was a simple wood swing hanging from a cherry tree, the ropes that held it were sturdy and well tied so she decided to sit and just sway a little as she thought.

Since she wasn't really allowed to leave the house those days the idiot had gone out that morning to run an errand for her and he promised to return quickly but she still hadn't found him and it was irritating her, then again what didn't irritate her lately?

Being stuck inside and unable to enjoy her freedom was one of the most frustrating things she had ever known but Korra had agreed to it so she couldn't really complain, not when it was for her own good. Nonetheless, she wondered when her life had changed so radically…

Eight years ago she had been a young naïve Avatar running away from home and starting a new life in the hustle and bustle of Republic City with only a polar bear dog for company, back then she had been starting to really find herself but she had still been inexperienced and lacking, she had fought the Equalists and won but she hadn't at the time understood how narrow-minded and biased her own views were, she thought that winning against Amon and restoring bending would make everything ok… It didn't but she only discovered that a couple of years later.

The Water Tribe civil war and the battle with her uncle using ancestral Spirits, gods in essence, and the break with her past lives as well as the revelation of the extent of her own spiritual power had changed her more than she cared to show, the many adventures and battles she had after that proved it as did the wisdom she gained but as always her past mistakes eventually came back to bite her in the rear.

Six years before, two years after the war, she was only nineteen and a new sort of fully-fledged Avatar; after fighting revolutions and civil wars, defeating evil Spirits, changing governments, uniting worlds, forging bonds and making a name for herself she had grown up faster that she wished she had and that's when they returned- the equalists.

The group had never really died out, they had gone underground and tried to gather their strength and resources once more but without a good leader to guide them they were lost and disorganized, which is why they only rose to face her once more when _he_ came back. It was a shock, she had expected him to be on the lam forever and even if he did have the nerve to return she thought none of his old followers would accept him after the truth of his tale was revealed- she underestimated his charisma and the non-bender's despair.

Even with a non-bender president leading the country, things were far from fair for the non-benders and it was becoming a problem all over again now that other governments were trying to intrude on the URN, Spirits were conquering territory and the backlash of the anti-bender revolution had died down. People were desperate enough that when their pleas went unheard by the government and the small elite of non-bender citizens on equal footing with their bender counterparts began to shrink, the equalists began to gain support once more and the group was frantic to find a leader that would keep them from breaking apart.

The mask of Amon came back like a mirage in the morning fog, according to him he hadn't returned to take power once more, merely to offer his services to his old comrades when he saw their plight grow too severe to be ignored. They resented him not only for lying but for being a bender, a bloodbender, a hypocrite and for running away but his silver-tongue swayed them and soon they hailed him as the prodigious bender that chose to live at their level and dedicated his life to them when he could have been one of the most powerful benders alive instead.

The police had been going crazy trying to arrest him, not only because of his past crimes but also to interrogate him about Tarrlok's disappearance, and yet they never managed to touch him until he surrendered himself only to prove that they could not keep him imprisoned, not when the majority of the population clamored for him and grew violent in his defense- what point was there to a prison if the people tore it down? What point was there to a law if the majority denied it? It was anarchy, so instead of quietly accepting a sentence or starting a war once more he proposed a truce.

Truth be told, Amon might have been fighting harder than ever for his cause but he no longer held any expectations of true victory, he had seen the world change in those two years and he knew that the Avatar was far above him in power so he opted for another tactic- his bending block was a threat but he no longer applied it indiscriminately, only to those he saw as criminal abusers of their power, it was a way to gain moral ground; his equalists were still an army of epic proportions that spread and gained more and more supporters all over the country and beyond with each passing day thanks to his magnetic charisma and propaganda but they were no longer on the offensive and gave the government no reason to shut them down lest they look like villains trying to oppress the majority; he planted mayhem and instability, taking advantage of the frailties of society but he also saved that same society by exposing corruption and crimes of elite benders thus helping the law while seeming above it all at once; he also highlighted the new tactic of trying to form bonds and alliances with even the most parasitic Spirits, something the main bender community had been neglecting at their own peril.

Yes, Amon was powerful once more, he had clawed his way back to the top even if it meant twisting old principles but he truly had changed methods and before the Avatar could turn against him once more and cause things to spiral out of control he dealt the finishing blow and used the one tactic she had never expected, not in a million years.

Amon's proposed truce was meant as a compromise to change society but as peacefully as possible (or at least with as little casualties as possible), both sides would have to give in on some points but both would gain plenty, though admittedly the equalist side gained a bit more in order to level the play field. However, this alliance, this peace, these concessions all hung on a single thing- a political marriage.

The meeting to discuss the proposed truce was held at city hall but the media was fully expected to participate and Amon had made as much of a spectacle of it as he could and once he had worn down the President, the legal Council and the nations' ambassadors enough to make them pliable and more open to the alliance he struck the killing blow by literally kneeling at the Avatar's feet and locking his gaze with hers as he proposed to her, claiming that a marriage between the symbols of the two sides of this dispute would turn into the cradle of a new fairer world order.

He trapped her with that proposal, if she backed down publically she would look like the one unwilling to comprise for a better world and he would look like the spurned savior, she knew that but she still couldn't say yes so instead she said the alliance, and in turn the marriage offer, would be considered if the equalists could abide with their side of the truce until further notice. Korra was forced to choose her words very carefully but she miraculously managed to pull it off without losing her temper and blasting the masked man across the room from her.

At that point Korra was no longer afraid of Amon or his abilities, she trusted her own power and the Avatar State even if a tiny corner of her mind wondered if she could really restore her own bending if it was taken again seeing as she no longer had a connection to her past lives to help; yes, she wasn't scared but she didn't like him either, in fact as noble as she thought his goals had become she still resented him so much that it bordered on hatred.

Amon was sneaky though and he shocked her by showing up at the island, he was barred from entering the temple but to avoid any confusion she met him outside and demanded to know what he wanted; it turned out he just wanted to talk about the proposal and when she told him she'd rather lose a limb than marry him he stared silently at her for so long that she started to feel uncomfortable and then he told her simply that he'd make her change her mind and that she should get ready to get courted.

Korra didn't actually believe he'd do it but he did, he started sending small gifts and pestering her to meet him for outings. She tended to refuse everything but after a couple of months his tenacity wore her down and she accepted with the intent of being as rude as possible to discourage him, however, he took her attitude in stride and didn't seem bothered in the least by her petty displays of childishness.

She still remembered the first 'date'- she assumed he'd take her to some fancy restaurant to impress her so she didn't bother dressing up, hoping that if she was underdressed she'd have an excuse not to dine with him but Amon didn't take her anywhere fancy, he chose places that were cheap and cozy but of decent quality, places where she could relax without all eyes being on her; at first she considered not eating at all but ended up ordering the most expensive things on the menu and eating like an uncivilized barbarian, she just wanted to irritate him and stick him with the bill but her plan backfired because he was actually amused by her obvious effort to annoy him.

The masked man further surprised her that evening by actually removing the mask to eat, they had their own little private space in the restaurant and people already knew what he looked like anyway so he allowed himself that moment of carelessness. Ever since the battle at the arena she hadn't seen his face but she was stunned to see scars on it again though different from the makeup of before, they were just discolored burns on the left side of his face which attracted attention but did not mar the rest of his perfectly sculpted visage; Korra could remember asking him why he still bothered with the makeup and he merely remained silent towards that question so she gave up quickly and rolled her eyes.

Amon discovered that night that there was a very easy way to manipulate her into doing what he wanted, Korra would do anything to contradict him out of sheer spite so it wasn't difficult to make some impromptu remark and watch her try to contradict it exactly as expected. That was precisely how he roped her into many more dates.

He mentioned how he hoped to take her to a dancehall but doubted she could dance at all and, even though Korra never danced, she ended up accepting just to prove she could do it; on that occasion he ended up having to teach her a few moves but even though he was a good teacher she stepped on his feet and kicked his shins on purpose.

He said there was an interesting play in the theater but that there was no point taking her because she could not appreciate something so refined and she accepted just to show that she wasn't the savage he implied she was; afterwards she actually ended up chatting animatedly about how much she liked the play and about how one of the actors reminded her of an old friend until she noticed who she was talking to and shut up with a frown.

He called her one day with an invitation to the opening of a restaurant owned by one of his former comrades and when she said no he nonchalantly stated that perhaps it was for the best because she might just make a fool of herself in front of the other guests; needless to say she showed up, in a dress no less, just to prove him wrong.

He invited to championship boxing match, a popular non-bender sport that she had been dying to experiment, she had trouble refusing that one time but then he made some sort of comment about how she probably wouldn't be able to understand anything that didn't have bending in it; she immediately rushed out to meet him with an angry scowl hiding her excitement.

One day he even mentioned stopping at speakeasy after dinner but said she probably couldn't handle liquor anyway and minutes later the Avatar was downing alcohol glass after glass just to prove she could. By this point, after six months of what she thought of as 'the stupid dating game' Korra had already begun to suspect that all his taunting was just a way to get her to join him yet she had started actually enjoying his company and grasped at their little defiant arguments as a way to retain her dignity and hide how much she liked the outings.

That night she had gotten so drunk she couldn't see straight, she didn't quite remember what happened but she did remember that she had been expecting him to do something, either to take advantage of the situation or to take her bending perhaps but instead he had picked her up and taken her home, going as far as getting Tenzin's permission to enter the temple and put her in her own bed. She also remembered kissing him on impulse before he left but that part could very well have been a dream because it was much too blurry and she didn't think she could endure the humiliation if it were true.

After the drunken episode Korra started to catch herself arguing with her own head for reasons to keep disliking Amon, she had to keep reminding herself of the past because suddenly it was getting harder and harder to not feel at least a little intrigued by the marriage proposal and the fact that she was starting to feel morbidly interested in the enemy was disturbing her.

Korra began acting even more defensive around him after that and more reluctant than ever to accept his offer and the reason was simple, she was starting to get too comfortable around him and she didn't trust herself not to start liking the man under the mask more than she should.

It didn't help that everybody was getting on her nerves about the proposal- the President kept sending her daily memos pleading her to accept so the equalist matter could be solved once and for all; the press and the public hounded her for an answer about the proposal; Tenzin didn't like the idea on a personal level as her master but on an ethical and political level as the Air Nomad ambassador he had to support the marriage as the most direct path to peace; Mako and Bolin had both started throwing jealousy fits disguised as outrage and disgust over the idea, ironically Bolin started the worst arguments over the whole thing every time she went out with Amon because while Korra had dated Mako, he was now happy with Asami but Korra had also dated Bolin later on and while the end of the relationship was a mutual thing the earthbender hadn't quite moved on that well; Asami kept telling Korra she should chose her own fate but the heiress held such a grudge against Amon that it was clear what her real opinion was and her attempts to act indifferent only irritated the Avatar further; Tonraq was ready to wage war for her if she asked because he didn't want his daughter with Amon either but she knew that getting the Chief involved would just make matters much worse and added to her anxiety.

All things considered it was too much pressure and one night she just snapped and met Amon at Air Temple Island's beach only to tell him to stop trying to court her, she was determined not to cave in and it spiraled into a wild verbal fight. Korra said things she never really meant, cruel things that she had never wanted to say, not even to someone like Amon; he retaliated by jabbing at all her flaws and suddenly she was ripping the mask off of his head to jab as his as well, calling him phony and hypocrite and slapping him in the face… Only then, after so many months, did she realize that the new scars weren't makeup but very real, she felt them clearly under slap and it made her stumble back in shock.

In a minute he had pinned her to cliff wall in the heat of the moment, both of them still shouting while she demanding answers and that was how she discovered that the scars had been Tarrlok's parting gift before he died and that information silenced her. She was too angry to feel sorry for him but she felt _something,_ the atmosphere had morphed into a very different sort of tension and she had to push him away before the proximity led her to do something insane.

The Avatar fully expected Amon to give up on his ambitions to wed her after that night but he hadn't, he came to her a week later apologizing though not for the fight, what he was sorry for was that he couldn't give up his pursuit even though she obviously despised him, he told her he would keep insisting until she accepted his proposal because it was the only way he had to make sure she wouldn't go back on her word and ignore his cause later, he promised that if she did accept he'd try to make her happy, he wouldn't let her life be miserable just because their marriage was loveless. He also admitted, somewhat mysteriously and with a shadow of a smirk that he had a personal stake in the matter but it was one that hopefully she'd never have to worry about.

Korra's patience was wearing thin but she still stood her ground for months out of sheer pigheadedness, only after a year of courtship did she finally accept his darn betrothal necklace, it was a pretty and surprisingly practical black leather choker with a carved opal gem sporting a simple crescent moon yet she didn't care for the design, all she cared about was how heavy it felt around her throat and how distressed she felt by the fact that she was not at all upset to have accepted it.

Despite having agreed to the engagement, much to the joy of the population since things with the non-benders had been turning more and more unstable throughout the year, Korra still took a full six months to so much as consider a date for the wedding and the ceremony itself took another six months after that to happen because she kept finding missions outside the nation to delay the whole ordeal and by then the alliance had been fully forged and the law was reforming so she almost tried to bail out although nobody would have allowed it seeing how peace was so dependent on this union.

She was scared and fully expected to have to wear some long uncomfortable poufy dress and for the ceremony to be huge and heavily publicized but Amon managed to surprise her again- it was a small affair, she was allowed to wear just a simple traditional Water Tribe dress of her own choosing, some members of the press were there as well as neutral witnesses but other than that only the closest acquaintances were invited and Tenzin himself performed the rituals.

Mako and Bolin had considered not showing up for the wedding at all but they didn't want to hurt her feelings, she wouldn't have felt hurt though seeing she wished she could bow out of the whole thing herself; her father also stated that he didn't want to make an appearance out of principle but he did because Senna insisted and he would support anything Korra did, plus it would be a terrible faux pas for the Chief to not show up to the Avatar's wedding.

So at the age of twenty-one, Avatar Korra married the man that had been her first great enemy, the person that had taught her what fear and humility were, the person that had haunted her dreams and nearly destroyed her but none of that mattered, the only thing that sickened her was that she was struggling to find excuses to _not_ like him.

Their wedding night was the most awkward thing Korra had ever experienced, he sat her down and started by telling her that she could now call him by his real name, that she was the only one allowed to do so. He then explained that he didn't want to pressure her but the marriage had to be consummated though if she didn't want a physical relationship after that one night he'd respect that.

The Avatar hadn't been expecting that of him, she really had thought that he'd demand sex as some sort of marital right so it was a relief to know that she only had to do it once. She wasn't a virgin and she didn't act like one either but he treated her as if she was, with tenderness and respect and careful exploration that she didn't think a man like him was capable of, he was also pretty skilled and more than proud to show off those skills until she was exhausted and physically blissed out in ways she hadn't even dreamed off and she discovered that falling asleep next to him was nearly as nerve-wracking or uncomfortable as she expected. Neither was waking up next to him for that matter.

However, after that one night he really did refrain from touching her against her will and that included things as simple as their hands brushing together or his foot touching hers as they shared a bed at night, it was reassuring but strangely frustrating too and Korra had no idea why.

After the wedding she had moved in to Amon's house by Republic City's waterfront and all the legalities between the equalists and the legal government were finally settled, the press had begun to dub Korra and Amon's marriage as the 'cradle of a new era'. She hated the term with a passion and she despised having to hear people talk about their relationship as some political maneuver but the Avatar no longer hated the marriage itself, a month living in close proximity with Amon (Noatak, she kept having to remember to call him Noatak) showed her that he wasn't so daunting after all, in fact, as a person he was so alike her in so many aspects that it often scared her how he had become the ruthless Amon because it made her wonder if such a thing could happen to her someday too.

Seeing Noatak as human and as her husband was a bit jarring but to Korra it became a game, she kept waiting to catch him slipping back to his villainous habits while at the same time learning all the little things that made her like him because if she was going to be stuck to him for life then she wanted to at least try to make the best of it and Korra actually found the man under the mask quite fascinating.

Noatak liked the same foods as her, well, not entirely, he had a sweet tooth that could put her gluttony to shame but she found it funny; he liked sparing with her more than he liked any sappy date, she preferred that too but they both still liked going out because neither of them could stand being cooped idly indoors for too long; he wasn't fond of animals as she was but that was because they were usually terrified of him for some instinctual reason so he never had pets and therefore Korra found all his klutzy interactions with Naga to be hilarious; he liked listening to sports broadcasts and music in the evening and his tastes in music expanded her horizons considerably; he was obsessive and meticulous about the little things but often lost track of the bigger picture and this applied to everything, from work and ethics to life at home, she often found all his books scattered in a mess on the floor but piled haphazardly by color and dialect, he heaped the dirty dishes neatly in the sink but often forgot to wash them, he never made the bed but couldn't stand the pillows sticking out of the mattress or the sheets on the floor, Korra found all the quirks annoying but endearing too.

There were deeper things too- he disliked having her bend unnecessarily around the house but he didn't restrict her because he said that after witnessing her work since the Equalist War he was impressed and giving her a vote of confidence concerning her powers. He had nightmares, he didn't talk about them but it was hard for her to sleep on the same bed and not notice, it made her wonder exactly what haunted him so much. Noatak also knew what it was like to be used and betrayed by a close relative, what Unalaq had done to her Yakone had done to him infinitely worse and the lies her parents had told to protect her paralleled the lies he and Tarrlok told to protect his mother so he shared her own trust issues and understood her reservations about family. He knew what it was like to have thousands of people looking up to him for guidance, he knew that pressure as well as what it did to a person's ego much like she did as Avatar, the only difference was that he chose that for himself and she never had a choice but the correlation made them reach a higher level of understanding towards each other on a professional level.

All in all Korra found herself mirrored in the man she had once hated and after a while she no longer knew what she felt for him, it certainly wasn't hatred or disdain or even fear but it wasn't love either, she no longer felt the need to fight him tooth and nail, she began to like him and started to empathize but she wasn't in love so she decided that their marriage would be based on more than just politics, it would be about friendship and understanding.

Two months after the wedding they finally caught a break and Asami, of all people, suggested they go on a honeymoon. The heiress still couldn't look Amon in the eye, she still blamed him for enabling her father's hatred and descent to madness but she was making a bigger effort to involved in her friend's life than anyone else, even Bolin and Mako chose to ignore Amon completely and only met up with Korra when she was the one coming to them. The couple accepted the suggestion and when the Avatar asked where they could go he shrugged and told her to choose because he had already seen all he wanted to see in the world.

Another suggestion popped up a couple of days later while she was still trying to decide- General Iroh suggested that they try a particularly pretty island in the Fire Nation, it was just south of Ember Island and a lot less crowded but also just a ferry ride away from the mainland. Korra accepted and a week later she was swimming in the clear blue-green waters of the sandy beach in front of the cabin they rented in the little tropical patch of land.

Korra almost regretted choosing the island because the humid weather was too hot for someone who grew up in permanent snow and she felt like she was constantly on the verge of melting like a popsicle but the place was gorgeous and peaceful, the fine sand beach and cool waters were something she had never really experienced and the rowdy night parties on the other side of the island always had something entertaining to do, plus she got to sate her curiosity and see Noatak walking around only in shorts because although he was used to heat by now, this was a place where nobody knew who they were and it was refreshing for him to shed his usual uniform as completely as possible and just blend in.

She had seen him naked before but only during those first few days at the beach did she notice every small detail of his physique, she was almost ashamed of how much she liked the view of those well-defined muscles and strong build but she was also intrigued by just how much scarring he really had, it mostly covered his back and shoulders but there were other marks in different stages of healing peppered here and there. Korra was a bit embarrassed about it but she started to fantasize about kissing each of those scars, dragging her tongue in the dimples of those muscles and scratching down that marked back in the throes of passion, she thought there was nothing romantic about the fantasies, it was purely physical but she didn't know what to do about them either way.

The second time they had sex she initiated it on her own free will, they had been honeymooning for almost a week and she was getting intensely frustrated so she left the beach with a plan in mind- she walked into the cabin dripping salt water all over the floor and stripped off her bathing suit and then waltzed into the room complaining about the stupid heat and threw herself on the bed where he had been leaning back reading some work telegrams.

Noatak had stared at her naked form for a full minute before he finally had the good sense to look away and pretend like nothing unusual was happening though his ears had reddened, Korra just chuckled and rolled onto her side to look at him and ask why he wasn't taking advantage of the view. He replied that it wouldn't be respectful but that made her laugh and she crawled over his lap, forcing him to look at her and when he asked she was trying to do the Avatar merely replied that she'd be damned if she didn't sleep with her own husband on their honeymoon, not surprisingly at all that had been enough to make him kiss her and touch her in all the ways he had been restraining for those first two months.

After the honeymoon they developed a new sort of relationship, the sex was delicious but mostly just for the fun of it and generally defined by harsh and passionate power struggles that easily got a little out of hand, it wasn't rare for furniture or dishes to end up broken or for bruises, bites and scratches to show up in odd places or for clothes to end up ripped during those occasions but that just made it all the more exciting.

Gradually they began to trust each other and whenever they weren't distracted by work or sex they ended up talking both of trivial things and about themselves, opening up in hopes of finding that one elusive thing that still seemed to be missing between them and felt just out of reach of the tips of their fingers.

One day, a mere year after the wedding, Korra was sitting on the living room rug in nothing but her underwear in front of a cozy fire and leaning against Noatak, both of them listening to the evening broadcast on the radio, sipping on rice wine and eating the chocolates he bought for her when it hit her that they were actually celebrating one year of marriage and rather than feel sick of him she was snuggling to his side and hoping to repeat that celebration for many more years to come. For the first time since the proposal came up she wondered whether or not she was actually falling in love for her husband and the thought wasn't scary in the least, in fact it made her stomach flutter in a good way and felt comforting.

Korra wasn't really sure if he felt the same way or not, she was pretty sure he didn't but by why else would he buy chocolates and wine on their anniversary? Why else would he often see something on a shop window that reminded him of her and ended up buying it as a gift for no reason other than wanting to see her smile? Why else would he try so hard to compromise with her wishes all the time? Why else did he make such an effort to get along with her friends so she felt comfortable bringing them home? Why else would he hold her at night after a nightmare because it was the only thing that calmed him back to sleep? No, there had to be something else going on, she wouldn't ask how he felt but she would cling to that certainty and enjoy what they had because all things considered they were lucky to have this, with their shared past they should hate each other after all.

By their third anniversary though, they were visiting Ba Sing Se for one of Korra's Avatar assignments so they had to celebrate the date there and he managed to get tickets to an Earth Rumble wrestling final, he didn't appreciate the bending-based sport that much but Korra was ecstatic and still talked about it hours later when they were back at the inn and having a lavish room-service dinner in bed, the only thing that bummed her was that her simple gift (a rare book he had been looking for) hadn't even compared to his but she was terrible at picking gifts and everyone knew that so he didn't seem to mind.

She had just been repeating her favorite parts of the Earth Rumble for the eight time that evening when she noticed how distracted he was so she waved a hand in front of his face and asked him what he was thinking about, his reply was nothing short of extraordinary- Noatak asked her if she loved him.

Korra gaped at him and stuttered, stumbling on her words but not replying anything concrete until at last she just asked why the hell he wanted to know that so suddenly; he replied by saying that he loved her and he wanted something that he could only ask for if she felt the same way. Noatak was dead serious and without a single hint of shame but Korra blushed out of control and didn't know what to say to that, they had been married for three years but even after all that she didn't expect to ever hear those words so she had no reply ready.

The words 'I love you too' spilled out in a mess of broken syllables before she could think of any other way to say them, she was scared of what he'd do, scared that admitting to having fallen for him when their marriage was supposed to be purely political would show weakness and open her up to hurt. Not only that but she wasn't actually supposed to love him, was she? They had hated each so much for a time and the only reason they married was to bring peace and to further their own political agendas so was it even sane to admit she had grown to love him?

All those fears were soon squashed when he dropped the next bomb on her.

"I want a baby." Korra could still hear his deep rusty voice loud and clear saying those words in her head.

She had been frozen on the spot staring bewildered at him for long enough that he started to worry about her sanity and then Korra began to protest- she was the Avatar, she was too busy to raise kids and her life was too dangerous for it, she was too young and still had years to consider that, she wasn't ready to suddenly be a mom on top of being a wife.

He countered her by stating that she wouldn't he alone so busy or not she should still be able to have a family, there was also the tiny little fact that she might be young with decades ahead of her to consider children but he wasn't getting any younger himself and he'd seriously like have a son or daughter while he still had enough youth to be able to keep up with them. The sarcasm was abundant in his arguing points and she actually felt a little bad for him because it was true, ultimately the biggest problem between them wasn't even the past, it was the future due to the incompatibility of their ages.

Noatak told her to think about it but he didn't pressure her again, from time to time in the next few months he'd sometimes drop hints about children in an attempt to gauge at her reaction but she never knew what to tell him. It's not that she didn't want a kid, the idea was actually really appealing to her but it's just that she wasn't sure she could handle one so soon and was secretly terrified that her hot-head and his own parental issues would end up screwing up any child they had, plus there was that tiny little issue of the unique bloodbending abilities of his bloodline, she knew he wouldn't want to teach and pass on the skill but that didn't stop her from fearing it.

To add to her distress, a few months later the press started butting in again- apparently someone had overheard a conversation, she wasn't sure if it was the one she had with Asami at the tea shop where they often met for snacks or a talk between Amon and someone else but suddenly the media was writing about how the 'cradle of a new era' was likely to be a childless one and rumor had it that the Avatar didn't even sleep with her husband which was a laughable lie but Korra understood why people would think that considering the circumstances of their marriage.

Korra ignored the news as much as she could, she stopped reading the tabloids altogether and focused on work to distract her from the choice she couldn't make.

"Hmph. I guess fate made that choice for me." The twenty-five year old Avatar huffed a little cynically, still sitting on the swing where she had been reminiscing about the past few years.

"Talking to yourself? Never a good sign, my love." Noatak's voice to her right suddenly startled her from her reverie. Spirits, she hated how he crept up behind her so silently, he had a talent to scare her out of skin that way without even trying.

"You're late, jerk." She shot at him sulkily, calling him by little insulting adjectives had since become her endearing way to express annoyance or to simply tease him, Noatak didn't really mind nowadays but it had been a bit irritating early in their relationship.

"No, I'm not. You just disappeared to this little spot and I've been looking all for you for the past hour." He retorted in a better mood than she was used to seeing him that early in the day, he was a night owl by nature and usually grouchy in the morning.

"Well, I got distracted here because I was looking for you in the first place, idiot! I got impatient." Korra scowled, still swaying on the swing.

"Ah, did you miss me that much, darling?" Noatak chuckled and teased, he came up behind her and his arms wrapped around her waist while he nuzzled the crook of her neck.

"You wish." She replied dryly. "What I missed where my glazed leechi-nuts so where are they?"

"In the kitchen. Do you know how hard it is to find leechi-nuts this late in the season?" The equalist gave an overly dramatic sigh but did not let go of her and his hand traced amorously up the curve of her abdomen. "You and your cravings will be the death of me."

"Hey, you wanted this kid so you better cater to it!" The Avatar pouted, trying hard not to give in to his good mood- she was supposed to be angry, darn it!

"If I remember correctly you were quite enthusiastic when you found out about it too." Noatak snickered right next to her ear, slipping a hand under her tunic to caress the bump.

He was right though, Korra hadn't been able to decide whether to have a child or not but fate had a way of taking matters into its own hands- just before their fourth wedding anniversary she had had a particularly dangerous and grueling assignment in the southern Earth Kingdom concerning a rather vengeful ancient Spirit, she had seriously believed she might die and kept thinking about how badly she wanted to see him in those terrifying moments; after she returned, although banged up she was so glad to be alive back home and still so hyped on adrenaline that she had had a few lapses in judgment concerning their usual precautions and ended up unintentionally becoming pregnant.

She considered it a sign of fate and when she found out she thought she should have been terrified and concerned, maybe even reluctant and angry but when the confirmation came all she had felt had been exhilaration and happiness, she could feel nothing short of excitement and had gone has far as doing victory cries all over the house and pining Noatak to the kitchen counter for a spontaneous celebratory make-out session.

Of course, that had been months ago, at the moment she wasn't so lively anymore.

"After seven months of nausea, pain, sluggishness, insomnia, loss of balance, swollen feet, cravings, leaky boobs, kicks in the ribs and everyone telling me just how much it's gonna hurt to pop this kid out ANYONE would reconsider that enthusiasm, dumbass." Korra snapped back irritably, she was pretty sure soon she'd be feeling happy and probably aroused or maybe sad and nervous, it depended on the way her mood swings went but right then she was just frustrated and angry.

"My, my, our esteemed Avatar truly is in a tempestuous mood today, isn't she, little one?" Noatak had gone around her and chose to crouch down and speak to her belly rather than to her. "What shall we do to change this?"

"Give me my damn leechi-nuts!" The Avatar kicked around like a child throwing a tantrum and finally got up, ready to walk back to the house and get the treats herself but he walked with her, his hand around her waist for support again and she decided to demand some pampering. "And a foot rub. And sugarless lemonade. And more pillows in bed."

"As you wish." He nodded at each demand, not bothering to hide his smile. That dreamy and slightly adoring smile had been an expression that she had only gotten to know recently, she had never seen him smile like that until the day she told him she was expecting, it was strangely refreshing to know that even Amon could make a face like that but it also made her feel somewhat smug that she was the only who ever got to see that expression.

As promised, a large pastry box filled to the brim with sugar glazed leechi-nuts was waiting on the kitchen counter and Korra practically ripped the lid off in her haste, shoving two of the treats into her mouth at once and practically moaning in delight as they crunched between her teeth and flooded her mouth with their earthy sweet flavor.

"Oh sweet Yue, thank you." The Avatar mumbled in total bliss, popping another treat in mouth and chewing gratefully with exaggerated pleasure, it was funny- she never really liked leechi-nuts before. "So good."

"Feeling better?" The equalist enquired, he was watching her with plenty of amusement.

Korra merely nodded mutely in return, stuffing her mouth with more glazed treats and leaning on the counter; satisfying the nagging craving actually helped lift her mood in an instant.

"What's that?" She asked abruptly with her mouth full, having noticed a huge stack of thick wood planks piled by the back door.

"Wood." Noatak replied casually.

"I know it's wood." She rolled her eyes. "I meant, what's it doing in our kitchen?"

"Don't worry, I'll be taking out to the storage room soon." He pointed out the back door towards the small stowage house that often doubled as a workshop.

"What's it for, Noatak?" Korra insisted impatiently.

"To build something, obviously." The equalist replied cryptically just to rile her up.

"What?" She demanded, tapping her foot.

"Aren't you the curious one?" He stalled further with a snicker.

"Just tell me already before I sit on you with my huge pregnant butt." Ever since the healers had forbid Korra for doing any strenuous exercise, including sparring and complex bending forms, her usual threats of physical harm had lost their bite so this had become her signature menace though one that lacked in the intimidation department.

"How frightening." Noatak joshed but sated her curiosity at last. "It's for a crib, Korra."

"A crib?" She cocked a brow at him.

"Yes. We might be the 'cradle' but I think this little one would prefer a literal crib, wouldn't you say so?" He pointed out while tracing the curve of her belly with the tips of his fingers.

"And you're building it yourself?" Korra was skeptical, it's not that he had no skill with handicrafts but…

"Why not?" The equalist tilted his head with curiosity in his tone.

"You'll get so focused wasting time on making sure of little things like the sanding being totally even or checking the design fifty-thousand times that you'll end up forgetting something as common as tightening the screws or measuring the pieces. By the time you're, shabbily, done this kid will be out already." The Avatar practically scolded, she knew him well enough by now.

"You don't give me enough credit, my love." Noatak chuckled, he pulled her gently into his arms and kissed the top of her head.

"I let you knock me up, I'd say I give you way too much credit to begin with." She rolled her eyes again but melted easily into the embrace though still munching on leechi-nuts.

"Don't worry, Korra. You should know by now that I'm always prepared for any eventuality." He stated with that usual charismatic confidence that made everyone believe him.

Korra wanted to keep arguing out of stubbornness but saw no point in it, he was the kind that had to try and fail in order to learn from the mistakes. Actually, that was another trait the two of them had in common.

"…Fine, build your stupid crib but if you use pink again I'll smack your ass halfway to the South Pole." She warned with a glare, still sulking over the fact that he had painted the nursery jade and pale pink, the latter being a hue she particularly despised.

"We have a deal." Noatak agreed, still holding her and occasionally stealing one of her sweets.

"Now where's that foot rub?" Korra demanded suddenly and pouting to change the topic and as he picked her up and carried her to the living room he just had to laugh, yet another expression of emotion that only she ever got to see. Apparently even a marriage of convenience could be filled with joy.

~~~~~~.:oOo:.~~~~~~

_(Author's Note: Yes, I know this idea was far from creative and already done a hundred times before in the Amorra fandom but I realized that even though I've read many 'political marriage AU' stories for this ship I had never written my own interpretation of it so I decided to give it a shot and I'm not too disappointed about it. I was also going to make this more dramatic and possibly angst-filled but after writing the Mythology AU (out of order, I know) I needed fluff to heal my shipper heart.)_


	2. Day 2- Mythology AU

Day 2: Mythological AU

_(Based off the Greek Tragedy of Orpheus and Eurydice. Post-Book 2)_

_Warnings: Blood, Violence, Character Death._

_Rating: T+_

_Word Count: 6,5k words_

_Prompt: **Games **_

~~~~~~.:oOo:.~~~~~~

She couldn't believe it, she still could not process it in her brain for it was too much pain for a single person to endure at once- first the break-up with Mako and now… No, she couldn't even think about it.

Korra was ashamed to admit it but she felt a small shred of relief when Mako chose Asami, she was broken hearted but knew she had been irrational towards him and she still felt that bittersweet pang of first love for him yet at least when they chose to end what they had the guilt had faded away and that guilt had really been shattering her soul for months.

At first she didn't understand why she felt guilty at all, having Mako and dating him was what she wanted from the start and even though she knew she should feel bad for Asami she really didn't, yet each day the remorse grew bigger and bigger until she was forced to realize what was wrong- yes, she loved Mako, he had been in her heart first but he wasn't who she truly wanted anymore and now she was just with him to forget the other person on her mind which made her feel terrible for using him.

When the firebender first rejected her, Korra was heartbroken and the one who picked up the pieces was someone who just happened to catch her crying outside the area; she didn't even know him and he was probably old enough to be her father but he was kind enough to offer her a handkerchief and sit beside her so she wouldn't have to cry alone. She tried to act tough, stating that an Avatar wasn't supposed to weep over something as petty as an unrequited crush, but he saw right through her and told her to just be human for a night rather than the Avatar.

Korra liked that man and when he offered to walk her and Naga to docks so she could catch the ferry back to the island she accepted without a second thought but as they chatted she found out he was actually from the North Pole and they ended up sidetracked by the conversation so that they found themselves sitting on a pier, sharing fire flakes and talking about old crushes and stupid things from their youth in the poles. Those moments brought her smile back.

He said his name was Noatak and they met many more times after that night though always in secret because she wasn't sure what people would think if they knew she was hanging out with such an older guy. The ease she had around him turned into something more, she wasn't sure what to call it but lust won out and after a single night in his bed she began to wonder if fate hadn't crushed her heart through Mako just so she would have the chance to meet Noatak.

Even during the equalist uprising she still met with him in secret once or twice before she was forced to go underground with her friends after Amon invaded the island. Despite the growing spark that was blossoming between herself and Mako, confusing her feelings further, the one she kept thinking of was Noatak and whether he was alright during the war.

And then they found Tarrlok and the truth crushed her like a bug under a boulder; everybody just assumed she was shocked about Amon being Tarrlok's brother and a bloodbender but that wasn't it at all, what stunned her was the cold stab of betrayal in her gut which kindled in her a rage she had never before imagined. She was actually morbidly pleased when she managed to send Amon flying out that window but after the mask and makeup were off and he was staring at her, she felt her chest constrict with pain, longing and sorrow once more.

And then he betrayed her once more and ran away. She felt useless and broken without most of her bending, she felt tortured and stupid after discovering that Amon was her secret lover and had probably been using her, she wanted to give up entirely and hand over the mantle to a new and better Avatar but at that point of complete desperation she connected with her past lives and such a spiritual breakthrough brought back hope, she recovered her bending and threw herself in Mako's arms in hope that everything would work out and that she would forget Noatak.

Secretly she still hoped the equalist would return, for weeks she practically prayed to Yue to see him again; maybe he'd come with an excuse and she'd punch him to the ground for what he did to her, perhaps he'd come to finish what he started and then she'd resolve her feelings by fighting on equal footing and putting him behind bars, or maybe he'd simply apologize and tell her it hadn't all been a lie and he really had loved her like she still loved him despite how abominable that was.

Months passed and she was sure the coward would never come back. It hurt, it hurt so much but she couldn't admit it because everyone would think she was out of her mind if she did, it also made her feel terrible for clinging on to Mako and making him a frail replacement for who she was still dreaming of.

So the break-up was a relief, the civil war was over, her soul was once again complete with Raava laced in it, Unalaq was gone, her cousins were on the run but no longer a threat, the worlds were united and her role had changed, for the better she believed. Things were looking up… So why was she so depressed?

Just when she thought she could move forwards, months after Vaatu's defeat, new information came and shattered her reality once again.

After some time trying to adjust to a world filled with Spirits, Korra found one that sparked an idea in her mind, this was a Spirit that could travel through every reflection in every world- water droplets, the surface of the ocean, mirrors, window panes, even shiny satomobile hoods, this creature could see everything in every reflection.

Korra bargained with the Spirit, by then she had discovered that these beings were all about games so she gambled with this one; he chose a very interesting game called 'slice', he would shower the Avatar with reflective pieces of broken glass and he would travel around them all, if she could catch him before all the glass touched the ground and without bleeding by cutting herself on the jagged pieces he would do what she required.

There were no real rules but Korra practically cheated, she used waterbending to freeze all the shards around her in a block of ice as they fell and trapped the Spirit, she then used earthbending to cover every bit of ice capped glass in dirt so no reflection could pass except to a single flat piece where the being was forced to hide. She grabbed the Spirit with ease but nicked her palm and had to burn the cut shut before any drop of blood could seep from it.

The Spirit was forced to admit defeat and accepted her task- she wanted him to find Amon, to find Noatak, so she could chase him and finally settle her feelings and perhaps bring him to justice… Or so she told herself.

It took the creature less than a day to pop up in her bedroom mirror and inform her of where her prey was- in the darkest corner of the Spirit World, in the home of the Spirit of Death awaiting his chance of reincarnation.

He was dead and for quite some time from what the Spirit told her.

Korra was stunned at first, he hadn't returned because he was dead and not because he had simply forgotten her and ran away…

She didn't know how this made her feel but after days trying to put a lid on her feelings she broke down crying and decided she missed him too much, she wanted to see him even if just one last time, she wanted a chance to change him and make him only into the man he was when he was around her unmasked.

Without a second thought she grabbed Naga and left towards the South Pole. Once there and before anybody could stop her she was guiding the polar bear dog into the portal and seeking any indication of how to find the darkest corner of the Spirit World.

The creatures she met were never too forthcoming with the information she needed but after days of search she found the place she sought after. It was permanently night around Death's domain and the entrance was guarded by a massive three-headed spider-dragon, the monster spat fiery webs that trapped and burned down any soul that attempted to escape its fate in this ghastly underworld and twenty-four eyes ensured there was no blind spot to sneak through.

The Avatar sent Naga away out of concern for the animal's safety, prompting the beast to head back to the portal while she thought of a tactic to pass by the monster that stood in her path. There was no way she was going to get through unseen and bargaining wasn't option when the being seemed designed to do its job with ruthless precision but without any intellectual ability that would allow her to communicate with it.

She figured making a run for it was the best option and so she did but only got within five yards of the guardian before it noticed her and blocked her path, ready to fire a flaming web in her direction.

There was a river nearby, its depths glowed silver and swirled ominously like liquid fog but she managed to bend some water and shove it into all three maws of the monster before freezing them shut so that no flame could escape as she ran and bent the rock under her feet to tip the spindly sharp legs of the spider-dragon, it fell and while it struggled to stand or fly Korra airbent her way over it and landed in the black humid entrails of the strange pulsating castle made of dead-looking plant life.

Without fear, the Avatar explored her surroundings until she came upon a river, it was the same one she had seen outside but it cut into the castle and blocked her path, she tried going around it or finding a way to cross but there was nothing, she tried bending her way through the water but it wouldn't obey her power enough that she could cross the whole width of the river.

"It's not quite water… If you try to bend you might fall in. If you fall in, you might very well forget who you are." Said a voice not far away and when she followed the sound she found a little boat with a strange Spirit sitting inside ready to carry her across.

"Can you take me then?" Korra almost pleaded.

"I shouldn't, you aren't a deceased soul, Avatar… But I shall aid you, I do not care for the rules of this place." The Spirit nodded dully.

The strange ferrymen looked almost human but she could not see his face under the heavy cloak he wore, he was missing an arm and shackled to the tiny boat, his remaining burnt hand extended to her not to help her in but waiting.

"What?" Korra asked before she could consider any manners.

"You must pay the fare if you wish to cross the Lethe." The boatman's voice was familiar, a little too familiar…

"Tarrlok?" She asked nervously.

"You have to pay or I can't take you, Korra." He repeated in a tired tone, confirming her suspicions.

"Why are you here?" The Avatar enquired in complete confusion.

"I died. I took my own life and my brother's in the speedboat we escaped in." He sighed and glanced at the slow swirling waters with their almost-sentient glow. "Suicide is not looked upon with very good eyes down here… This is my punishment, until I pay my debt for the life I wasted I must be the ferryman."

"You… You killed Noatak?" She had wanted to express sympathy for this man that she had hated and then pitied, a simple 'I'm sorry', perhaps a promise to aid him too but instead all that came out was the incredulous question tinted with a red hot anger she didn't know she possessed.

"You say that as if he didn't deserve it." Tarrlok chuckled darkly. "Don't worry, he's paying his dues as well."

"You manipulated me, you arrested my friends, you acted exactly the way Amon accused benders of being, you bloodbent me, you kidnapped me! You hurt me so much and now you admit to stealing him from me too?" Korra shouted before she could stop herself.

"Stealing him from you?" Tarrlok's hooded head tilted curiously, wondering if she meant stealing the chance of revenge from her or something else; he began to think aloud- "I thought it was strange of him to simply run away and surrender once unmasked… He took most of your bending, he could have just bloodbent you to death in an instant as revenge or taken you with us as well and you wouldn't have been able to fight back… He preferred to give up and even let me kill him with remorse on his face… My, my… I never knew Amon had a heart but here it is standing before me."

His snickering tone was the last drop, with her heart wrenched and twisted in her chest Korra stepped inside the vessel and grabbed the man by the heavy cloak he wore, shaking him with such blind rage that his hood fell revealing his face- the right portion of it was gone and the rest was lacerated into a charred mangled mess, his lips had burned off to reveal his teeth in a gruesome smile, his nose was gone, his only remaining left eye was bloodshot and milky and his hair had melted into his scalp.

The Avatar was so horrified by the sight that she let go at once and stumbled back, falling into the river with a massive splash.

He was right, the water wasn't quite water- it really was sentient and swirled around her like the coldest ice she had ever felt, whispering nonsensical words in her ears and sneaking into her lungs to choke her while her mind went numb and white.

Something hooked in her clothes and pulled her back into the tiny boat, it appeared to be an oar. She lay there, choking on air and feeling empty and numb, her body felt too frozen too move and she trying to speak but realized she had forgotten how to form words.

"I warned you. The river of forgetfulness wipes souls clean for the next life." The ferrymen she no longer recognized muttered darkly. "Have you forgotten everything?"

She opened her mouth but it flapped like a fish out of water because not only could she not remember the words, she also didn't know the answer.

"You don't know who you are?" He questioned, getting only a blank confused look in return that made him sigh. "No idea why you're here?"

She opened her mouth again and hesitated. Why was she there again?

Her trembling hands rose to her face and she clutched her own head, trying hard to remember, it was something important… Very important… What was it, why was it even more important than her own name and why did it make both her head and her chest hurt?

A face floated to her mind, bobbing in her consciousness like an apple in a swamp and the sight of it sparked a chain of recognition inside her throbbing skull.

"Noatak!" She cried out the name and moments later she was crawling to her knees and snarling with determination. She had to get him, she knew that much and she wouldn't surrender until she had him, such a thought spiraled until she began to remember everything and immediately resented losing time in this disgusting river.

"Oh? First time I see this happen." Tarrlok snickered, hood back in place. "They rarely remember… You must want him very badly indeed."

"Take me there!" The Avatar demanded angrily, still dripping glowing silvery threads of liquid.

"Pay the toll and I will." He replied with ease.

"You seriously want money?" She shot him a flat look but to her frustration Tarrlok only nodded. "I don't have any!"

"It doesn't have to be money… A piece of you would do just fine." The ferryman retorted with malice.

"A piece…" She trailed off considering his words and then bent an air blade to slice her hair short, handing him the shorn locks. "Here."

"How boring, usually they offer an eye or fingers." Tarrlok chuckled but accepted the payment that vanished in his hands.

"You probably only ferry dumb people, that's likely why they're dead." She retorted snippily.

"Good point." He stated, already sinking his oar into the mysterious waters of the river to seamlessly guide the boat across.

It took so long to get through the wide expanse of water that Korra began to grow impatient and fidget in her seat but at last the vessel docked on a beach of ashy sand and Tarrlok extended his only hand to the right, telling her to follow the path. She didn't even pause to thank him and hopped onto dry land at once, running down the winding stone path, often meeting crossroads and forks that a appeared promising but not tempting enough to distract her from her goal.

Finally she reached the massive poison-ivy doors of a room, she kicked them down and waltzed right in as if she owned the place, seeking the person she had to bargain with for Noatak's soul. At first, she believed nobody was inside, it was only a massive room with a wide arched ceiling and an enormous green fire burning across the walls.

"We seem to have a visitor, darling…" A soft wispy androgynous voice caught Korra's attention and she turned to spot a Spirit whose form was in constant change so it possessed every physical trait she had ever seen in a living being, it was hard to look at and trying to understand it gave her a headache.

"I don't often cater to the living." Another genderless voice made her turn and she saw another Spirit, this one tall and shrouded in dark mist, it revealed only overly long dark skeletal fingers and pinpoints of light that resembled something shining at the end of long tunnels, she assumed those could be eyes but the creature didn't look at her and ignored her completely, speaking to the other instead.

"Which one of you is Death?" Korra demanded at once.

"What exactly would a human want with me?" The mist-wrapped creature asked the other with no trace of emotion, still ignoring the Avatar. "Tell it to leave and die when it wishes to see me."

"Forgive my consort, Avatar." The ever-changing being appeared to smile. "Death has a stony heart."

"And who are you?" Korra asked suspiciously.

"Your kind calls me Reincarnation. You should know, you've met me time and time again." The Spirit responded. "What brings you to us?"

"I want Noatak's soul back, I want to bring him back to the living." The Avatar replied without hesitation.

"Impossible." The Spirit replied though displaying some curiosity.

"Has he reincarnated yet?" Korra asked, silently begging the answer to be no.

"Not yet, he has much to atone for first." The Spirit of Reincarnation replied softly.

"Prove it." She demanded.

For a long silent moment Korra thought they were just both going to ignore her altogether but then the ever-changing creature gestured to the flames on the wall and from them sprouted a massive bobble of water, the equalist was suspended inside it, permanently drowning and struggling with unseen visions but never losing consciousness although his skin was deathly pale and his face was sunken and cadaveric.

"Noatak!" The Avatar shouted and ran to the massive globe of liquid, finding its surface too hard to penetrate but the sound of her fists on it made the trapped man notice her and reach out to her, still struggling in agony.

"You won't be able to reach him." The Spirit that was willing to speak to her informed.

"Give him back to me!" Korra shouted angrily and demandingly at Death itself.

"Don't bother. Death will not listen to you." The Spirit of Reincarnation explained, impressed by the girl's bravery in face of the one thing all mortals feared. Its consort had apparently taken perch on a stony surface and appeared to peer into the flames, watching something not visible to human eyes.

"Then you help me!" The Avatar shouted at the ever-changing Spirit.

"And why would I?" It replied distantly but not unkindly. "Such a thing is against the laws of nature, what could you possibly give us in return for breaking such unbendable rules?"

Korra wavered as she stared at the beings and used the only card she knew- "…Your kind likes games, don't they?"

"If they are entertaining enough." The Spirit nodded vaguely.

"Then let's gamble for it." The Avatar stomped her foot. "Any game. I win, you give me Noatak. I lose and you get me."

"That's hardly entertaining." The changing creature waved off her offer.

"…Please." She ended up stumbling to the being and kneeling before it. "Please, I'm begging you, just give me a chance to get him back! Please!"

"Why?" The Spirit surveyed her with intense curiosity, never had an Avatar willing come to them while still alive.

"Because I love him and I literally dragged my ass through hell to get him." Korra retorted with unmovable resolve.

"Well… I for one do not want your life, Korra. It's hardly enough when I will just have to help you reincarnate in the next Avatar." The being watched her reaction with mild interest.

"Then end the Avatar Cycle, I don't care!" She offered desperately.

"That's impossible too, Raava's cycle is unstoppable even by my hands." The Spirit paused as an idea was born. "But… Your bending could make a lovely memento."

"My bending...?" The Avatar's resolve wavered at last, her bending wasn't just something that mattered to her, the balance of the whole world hung on it and it defined her completely so could she really give it up?

"Is that too high a price?" The Spirit appeared to be testing her.

"It… Well…"Korra glanced at Noatak's agonized expression and then back at the Spirits, feeling lost.

"He was going to take your bending anyway before and yet you still followed him here to rescue him, doesn't that mean he is more important than your skills?" The ever-changing creature questioned.

The Avatar grit her teeth, the words made sense, she was no longer the 'bridge' after all and she hadn't made that whole travel for nothing. With a stoic air, Korra swallowed the lump in her throat and said- "Fine, take it but give me Noatak."

"I will give you… My consort's ear. That is all I can promise." The Spirit offered, it sounded truly apologetic for not being able to do more.

"…Do it." Korra reluctantly accepted and closed her eyes.

The Spirit placed a palm on her head, it felt like condensed wind and kept changing shape over her skin but she was distracted from it by a bright glow that pierced her closed lids and the a sudden hollow sensation that made her soul feel mangled yet it wasn't nearly as painful as the pain she felt when she heard of Noatak's death so she found it worth it and secretly hoped she might still relearn her bending someday.

"Such a lovely soul. Almost too lovely to tamper with." The Spirit practically sang as it took her abilities away and finally stepped back. Korra resisted the urge to crumple to the ground and stood her ground, watching the being waltz over to Death itself, cooing and caressing it amorously. "Darling, listen to the human, for me."

The Spirit of Death didn't not react for a long time but after an exchange of cryptic looks between the beings, the creature turned and acknowledged the Avatar at last.

"You cannot have him back." Death stated stonily.

"I'll give anything I can in return." Korra offered.

"No." The being did not budge.

"I will not stop badgering you until you comply. I may not have the Avatar State anymore, my threats may be empty to you but I will turn this corner of the Spirit World inside out with my bare hands if I have to until you at least give me a chance to win him back!" Korra's voice grew louder and louder at each word until she was shouting her threats and gesturing violently at everything around her, having completely forgotten the power of who she spoke to.

Death was… Well, impressed might be too strong a word but it was intrigued by the feisty little human and it was aware of what tended to happen to Spirits who defied the Avatar, bending or no bending it didn't want to be hassled by such a trivial matter because of a single corrupted soul.

"I will give you a chance." The Spirit of Death declared at last.

"What do I have to do?" Korra squared her shoulders and prepared for the challenge, hoping it wouldn't be too lethal.

"Sing." Death requested.

"What?" She was stunned and thought he was mocking her.

"Sing for me, sing of him with all your heart, sing about why you are so desperate to save the man that betrayed you, sing until your throat bleeds and if I find it heartfelt enough then perhaps you can have him." The mist-shrouded being announced coolly.

"I… I can't sing…" The Avatar stuttered nervously, did Noatak's fate really hang of a skill she never had possessed?

"Then I guess this matter is over." Death began to wave the globe of liquid that imprisoned the equalists soul but Korra got in its way.

"Alright! I'll sing! I'll sing until my voice dies out!" She shouted frantically, standing before the globe where Noatak was trying to claw his way towards her to no avail.

"I'm waiting." The dark-misted creature urged her on.

Korra had no idea how to start, she didn't know a thing about poetry, she could rhyme to save her life, she barely knew the words to a couple of children's songs, she couldn't keep a steady rhythm either and singing just felt pointless and stupid when it came to something so important, it felt like they were mocking her with their worthless requests.

And yet she still sang, the words weren't her own but they felt appropriate and she spilled them out with as much emotion as she could, telling the story of her thoughts and feelings ever since she met him, chanting about the ways he had marked her and often repeating her sung arguments in a loop, thinking not of Amon but of Noatak, remembering all the times they spent together and how much she missed him, how much it hurt to be without him.

She was out of key and tone deaf, her husky voice was deep and pleasant but not at all suitable for song and she knew it, she knew it so well that she was aware of how pointless this effort was and such knowledge made her sink to her knees and cry in despair even though she never stopped singing, not even when her hiccupping sobs got in the way, not even when lyrics kept repeating themselves in a near hysterical manner, not even when her voice began to crack as her throat dried up and started to hurt after days of that humiliating scene- or at least what felt like days, it was likely just hours.

Eventually her voice gave out altogether though she still tried to sing, she still tried to force out the tune past her parched lips but all that slipped out were raspy breaths. She looked up and saw that other Spirits had gathered around to watch her, she saw that _he_ staring at her too through the torturous waters of his prison with some unidentifiable pain in his eyes, but she focused at the two creatures she was trying to impress, feeling wholly defeated and ready to crawl at their feet for another chance.

The Spirit of Reincarnation stared at her with pity in its ever changing face and then glanced at its consort. The Spirit of Death had not moved an inch but glittery liquid like molten gold slid from the pinpricks of light that were its eyes- where those Death's version of tears? Did it have enough of a heart to cry for anyone?

A moment later the Spirit raised a dark bony hand, flicked its wrist and Noatak was released from his watery cage, splashing to the ground and coughing up massive amounts of liquid.

Korra tried to reach his fallen form and he appeared to be reaching out for her too with pain, hope, love and admiration stamped on his pale sunken face but Death got in the way and stopped her.

"There is a stipulation." The Spirit announced.

"What?" Korra discovered that her voice was returning at an usually fast pace but it hurt to speak and she feared the reply she'd get.

"You will leave this place and return to your world at once, he will follow silently behind you but you mustn't look back until you are both in the Human Realm. If you have the strength of will to do this once there he will return to being living flesh and blood but if you so much as glance at him early and if he ever returns to this side of the portals he will be condemned to wander the Spirit World forever as a lost soul with no chance to move on or to be saved or reborn." Death explained the rules with no space for argument.

"How will I know he's really following me?" Korra whispered the question suspiciously.

"You won't." The being announced and turned its back on her, floating away and acknowledging the Avatar no more.

"Another game then?" She hissed irritably, tired of how these creatures played with human lives.

"Go, Avatar Korra." The Spirit of Reincarnation instructed, coaching her to turn towards the doors. "I hope not to see you again for a long time."

Korra left without looking back, she walked out the poison-ivy entrance and used all her self-control to avoid looking back as she followed the path, hearing only her own footsteps tapping on the stone beneath her. Once at the beach, she hoped Tarrlok would show some sign of recognition towards his brother to let her know she hadn't been tricked but the boat was empty and waiting, she had to be the one guiding the oar until they reached the other bank.

Getting out of the abode was easy, the three-headed guardian sniffed her suspiciously but let her pass without a fuss, even though it snarled and obviously desired to uphold its job and not allow any soul to escape, not even hers.

Walking back out of the Spirit World was harder without Naga but at least now she knew the way and she was determined to make it back without having to stop to rest because she feared that if she stopped she wouldn't resist the temptation to look back. However, she still often passed out from pure exhaustion and woke hours later to drag herself up again and keep moving forward with only water and whatever fruit she found on the way as fuel. Already she was feeling foolish and almost completely sure that she had been fooled, it was immensely difficult not to turn and make sure Noatak was really there, she even talked to him through all those exhausting hours of walk, hoping to hear some sort of reply but none ever came.

"Please give me some sign, please tell me this wasn't all for nothing…" Korra begged time and time again and when he never replied she always fell back into the same rambling speech. "Please, Noatak… I feel so shattered and worthless without my bending, my soul feels physically broken. Tell me this pain is worth it, tell me it's not wasted… I know I should hate you, I know you probably hated what I am, what I _was_, but I know you loved _me_ too. I dragged myself through hell and back for you because even though you bloodbent me, betrayed me and took my bending I still couldn't bear the idea of your death, I still missed you too much and it crushed my heart… Please don't let me go."

He still never replied and she would often break down into silent tears that lasted as long as it took her to start pleading again or faint of exhaustion.

When she finally saw the portals her feet were bleeding, her boots had long since been discarded when her feet swell too much to fit them after days of walk but she still broke into a run to reach the closest portal and step out of it.

She knew she should wait, she knew she shouldn't look back until she heard him or felt him but as her bare feet hit the snow of the South Pole she couldn't stand it anymore and turned back.

Noatak was there as promised, standing on the threshold of the portal and slowly gaining a living corporeal form again. He had been holding back his tongue the whole journey because to test her Death had made him promise not give any sign of himself until they were out of the Spirit World and each time she begged for him to talk, each time she cried, each time she fainted he felt his resolve waver and his heart broke in his bodiless chest, each time he resisted the urge to touch her, to care for her, to thank her, to kneel at her feet and beg for her forgiveness, to just love her.

"Korra…" He said her name as if it was a sweet blessing and reached out to touch her.

Korra was about to pull him to her, determined to embrace him and never let go but suddenly a blast of water hit them both and forced them to topple into the portal. Noatak was still on the threshold, he hadn't fully returned to the Human World and when thrown back into the Spirit Realm, Korra saw her arms go right through his almost consistent body, just before he turned as glassy eyed as the lost souls she had seen before in the Fog.

"No… No! No, no, NO!" Korra screamed, ignoring whoever had thrown water their way and trying to pull him into her world but to no avail.

As she struggled to get ahold of him or regain his attention, a water whip wrapped around her legs and pulled her back through the portal and away from him. She was dragged screaming across the snow and struggling with all her might but with her bending gone she could do nothing but squirm.

"Not fighting back, cousin?" Desna asked, coldly and darkly just before manipulating the whip that bound her in order to slam her into a nearby rock.

Korra hit the stone with a smack that made her gasp when the air was forced out of her lungs, her eyes watered and her whole body vibrated with pain. She was like a ragdoll being thrown back and forth in the watery embrace that the two blank-faced twins manipulated with dangerous ease.

"All the better." Eska stated in reply to her brother, flinging the Avatar so much harder onto the rocks that she coughed splatters of crimson blood onto the snow when some internal organ ruptured from the beating.

"Please…" The Avatar pleaded, unable to breathe from the pain as they smacked her around with blasts of highly compressed liquid. She kept trying to crawl back into the portal.

"You killed our father." Desna snarled, showing a flicker of furious emotion at last.

"We will show you no mercy." Eska added icily.

The male rose a wall of water in front of them and his twin stabbed through it, sending a volley of rapid ice needles that Korra could not dodge and without her bending she was sitting turtleduck- they sliced and pierced into her flesh in the most agonizing way until she couldn't even feel the cold, only the pain.

Nonetheless, Korra dragged herself to the portal through the agony, she could no longer move her legs but she could see Noatak's wandering form just on the other side of the light. She no longer cared if she couldn't bring him back alive, at the very least she just wanted him to regain consciousness even if she had to stay with him in the Spirit World forever.

Desna caught her and yanked her back by her now short matted hair, there was blood pouring from her nose and mouth and dripping down her chin as well as multiple injuries on her body, her legs had no feeling in them whatsoever, one of her arms was definitely dislocated, a cut over her eye kept her from opening it fully and she could barely move to struggle but she still snarled furiously at her cousin and punched him in the face hard enough to make him bleed too.

"Don't kill her Desna." Eska's voice interrupted as the male twin hissed in pain and raised an ice blade to her throat. "I have a better idea."

Desna stopped and dropped her. Korra fell with half her body in the Spirit World and half in the Human Realm, she saw Noatak again and screamed his name. A hint of recognition flickered in his eyes and Noatak turned, slowly staring at her with confusion and longing, she screamed his name again and stretched her only working arm, trying to reach him as his eyes regain some of their old shrewdness and he began to move her way.

The ice encircled her too fast for the Avatar to react to it, she was frozen solid in that position, silently screaming for him, desperately reaching for him as the massive block of clear ice grew around her, trapping her, smothering her, killing her until the surface became too thick and frosted to see through, though by then Avatar Korra had already seen the last thing she would ever see- the face of the lover she was never meant to have.

~~~~~~.:oOo:.~~~~~~

_Epilogue Extra: _

Eska and Desna didn't survive to see anyone else ever again. Once their revenge was through they ran away but Korra's father decided to hunt them down once he discovered that his daughter had been frozen to death on a spot that trapped her between worlds and made it impossible for her body to be salvaged.

Unfortunately for Tonraq he never got his revenge because when he found his niece and nephew they had both died bizarrely in the snow- apparently they had contorted until all their bones broke and their hearts had slowly been crushed under the pressure of their own blood by some mysterious unseen force that haunted the land around the portal. They died holding hands and were found being chewed on by wild animal Spirits and artic wolves.

Until this day nobody dares approach the Southern portal and much less touch the eternal block of ice where the once Avatar rests, they claim the land his haunted, cursed by a trapped vengeful spirit with a thirst for blood and whose longing cries of sadness mingle with the howling of the wind.

~~~~~~.:oOo:.~~~~~~

_(Author's Note: It's been a long time since I wrote such a tragic ending… I'm sorry. _

_This story isn't exactly inserted in a mythological setting as the AU implies but rather based off the Greek mythological tale of Orpheus and Eurydice- in the original Orpheus's talent is music (which obviously doesn't fit Korra, nor does his peaceful nature) and when his love dies he travels to the underworld, puts Cerberus (the three-headed dog that guards Hades) to sleep with a lullaby, pays Caronte (the ferryman) with a song instead of coins, sings to charm Persephone (Hade's wife) into getting her husband to listen to him and then sings a song so lovely that Hades himself feels his hard heart thaw and cries iron tears. In the end Orpheus's downfall is that he is impatient and looks back too soon and although he was in the realm of the living already, Eurydice didn't have time to walk past the threshold and ended up crying in desolation as her soul vanishes back to Hades. _

_The part of the story that is often neglected to be told because the moral of tale had already been delivered is what came next- Orpheus was so saddened that he disdained all gods except the god of the sun and music Apollo, he sang a song in salute to his god, attracting the maenads (wild women who worshipped Dionysus, the god of wine and madness) who fell in love with him but where angered that he tried to worship Apollo in their lands and in a fit of insanity fought over him until they tore him to pieces. As punishment the gods turned the maenads into oak trees to mark Opheus's grave, his soul joined Eurydice's in the afterlife.)_


	3. Day 3- College AU

Day 3: High School/College AU

_Note: This was going to have smut but I decided against it. Maybe I'll rewrite this into something more developed someday and then I'll add the mature content. (There will be smut on another AU Week prompt though)._

_ Context: This is inserted in an Universe where everything is the same as in LoK except in modern times and bending is something kept a secret from the world and treated as urban legend because benders are only about 20% of the world population and therefore live in fear of what might become of them if their respective governments find them, those who are caught are generally carted off to military research facilities in order to have their potential exploited. Another difference is that the South and North Poles became independent from each other before Korra was even born with her uncle ruling the North and her father ruling the South. _

_Meanwhile Tenzin runs a support network for benders whose skills have been spotted by the authorities or for people who just discovered their abilities and need guidance, the Air Temples are considered neutral ground for a recovering race (even though the airbending is kept a secret) so they are diplomatically immune and perfect to hide runaway benders. _

_As for Amon he leads a normal life but also runs a more militant underground group that is quite determined to bring bending back into the light so that benders can live on equal footing as the rest of the world without being hunted. Lieu is Amon's work colleague and still his right hand man but in this world it is because his child was a bender that was taken by the government and he wants revenge. Ironic, I know._

_Rating: T+_

_Word Count: 7,3k words_

_Prompt: **Sand**_

~~~~~~.:oOo:.~~~~~~

There he is again, he always sits on that same spot on the back and to the farthest left corner of the lecture hall and she always wonders why. It's easy to go unnoticed when you always sit in that spot, even for someone as attention grabbing as him but Korra suspects that it isn't inconspicuousness that he wants.

All the other students ignore Amon today because there's a midterm, usually there's always that little group teasing and joshing him by calling him 'old dog' or asking if he's there to watch over his grandkids, there's also the little group that initially tried to act friendly so he'd pay for their booze during class parties or so they could dump their share on him during group work but he generally ignores them all and the majority of the students tend to pretend he doesn't exist too so it's fine by him.

Korra doesn't understand the ostracism, maybe it's because she's fresh off the boat and hasn't been living in the big city for more than a few short years but she really doesn't get it. She doesn't think he's really that old and just because the majority of the students in the university are in their early twenties shouldn't mean that having an older student is unusual since a lot of people return to school later in life to finish degrees, besides, Korra herself is probably the youngest person in this sophomore class, having gotten accepted early, so if anything she should be a bully target too but almost everybody gets along just fine with her despite the age difference… Maybe they all just find him unapproachable, she can't figure out why but maybe that's it.

She decides to sit close to him, partially because she's been getting more and more curious about the mysterious man that only takes some of their classes since the beginning of the course but mostly because their classmates have already taken up all the good seats. Korra digs through her bag for a pen just before the professor starts distributing the tests, she's unusually bright for her age given how she was raised and who she is but she's not very organized and her backpack is such a total mess that it takes her three whole minutes to realize she forget her pencil case and, by extension, all her pens.

"Shit." She mutters under her breath, frustrated as the professor looms just two rows away.

A pen materializes beside her and when she looks up at it she sees Amon holding up the blue writing tool with that usual serious and unreadable air.

"Don't you need that?" Korra wonders even as she accepts.

"I have a spare." He points at a black pen resting neatly in front of him.

"Thanks." She smiles in a friendly manner but he just nods quietly in acknowledgment.

The professor hands her the midterm and she skims through it and huffs with annoyance. She hates this sort of multiple choice test, she much prefers writing her own opinion in each question than chose a preconceived assumption as an answer but the majority of the people in this Ethics class are sighing in relief already so she feels like she's the odd one out until she hears the man next to her groan with annoyance as well. Korra glances at him and sees him ticking off answers speedily and making small notes on the margins- well, at least she's not the only one annoyed by the lack of flexibility in multiple choice tests.

The questions are fairly simple, she expected them to be harder but being raised by a tribal Chief has taught her enough about ethics to make this class simple for her. Truth be told, she never really wanted to study international politics to begin with, she wanted a sports-related career but being who she is comes with responsibilities that can't be escaped so her dreams have to wait until after college, thankfully they don't have to wait completely because there's always varsity sports.

She finishes her test with an hour to spare but when she attempts to return the pen she notices that the man beside her seems to be struggling with a few questions, Korra finds this odd seeing as he tends to ace all the other classes but has always been troubled in this one.

"D, A, C." She mutters the answers to the three questions he's battling with as she passes by to hand over her test to the professor. Amon looks up at her with his eyes narrowed in annoyance and disapproval but he accepts the help nonetheless.

Fifteen minutes later she's sitting outside the classroom, sipping on her water bottle and wondering what to do next- her friend Asami is probably still in her business class but she's not sure she'd be up to seeing her friend around campus anyway since Asami would probably be with her beau and Mako is Korra's very recent ex so she really doesn't want to risk bumping into him any time soon, Bolin is still in high school so she can't hang with him either and the only other person Korra knows in this place other than her classmates who are still stuck on the midterm is the dean himself and Tenzin really is the last person she wants to go spend her spare time with.

The door opens before she can reach a decision and the person that comes out is none other than Amon, he looks at her for a moment and then decides to speak.

"You didn't have to help me, I'm not fond of cheating and I could have passed on my own worth." The man announces a little sullen, this grouchy side of him makes her want to tease him for no particular reason but she holds back.

"You didn't have to let me borrow your pen either, I was just returning a favor." She smiles but it turns into a cocky smirk. "Wouldn't want to spoil your perfect record with a single failed class, right?"

"…Thank you." He concedes at last.

"You're welcome." Korra grins and then glances at her watch and her timetable. Her grin turns into a grimace in less than a second. "One whole empty hour and then that stupid lecture with professor Tarrlok. Great."

"You dislike Tar- Professor Tarrlok's lectures?" Amon clears his throat and watches her, apparently interested due to her sarcasm. She understands why, most people are charmed by Tarrlok's ways but she just considers him a pompous ass.

"I dislike Professor Tarrlok himself. He's conceited and annoying and so… so… Ugh!" She growls at the lack of a better explanation, she can't really admit to knowing the man outside of school as well. "I don't care if he has a seat in the city Council, I don't want to hear about in every class."

"I agree." Amon nods curtly and stares at her for a moment before apparently making a decision. "Shall we skip?"

"…What?" Korra is surprised, she doesn't mind missing classes but this is a man that never skips.

"You heard me." He seems amused by her bewildered reaction.

"Aren't you supposed to be Mr. Boring-Model-Student or something?" Her brow rises and her expression turns distrustful.

"Attendance is not mandatory and I believe you and I have grades high enough that we can chose to skip out on a pointless lecture every once in a while." He defends calmly.

"And you propose we skip together?" Now she's grinning, wondering where this is going and hoping it will kill her boredom for a while.

"Why not?" Amon shrugs vaguely.

"Ok, I'll bite." Korra agrees, filled with curiosity. "Where to, Amon?"

"There's a little typical Water Tribe tavern nearby if you're feeling homesick." He comments nonchalantly.

"Isn't it racist to assume I'm from one of the tribes just because I'm dark skinned and blue eyed? I could have been born here, you know?" She snickers slightly to hide her annoyance.

"You always wear typical Water Tribe clothing and not just out of a fashion statement, you actually wear the traditional things properly. You constantly complain about the heat in the classroom even mid-winter. You have a slight Southern Tribe accent and I hear you have a polar bear dog for a pet." He counts each argument by raising his fingers. "Tell me again how you're not from the Water Tribe?"

"Ok fine, so I am from the South." Korra pouts slightly. "Since when are you an expert?"

"I was born in the North Pole myself." Amon explains, showing a hint of a smirk that she has never seen before on that serious face of his.

"Really? Why are you so pale then?" She blurts out before she can register just how wrong her words sound.

"Who's being racist now, young lady?" He teases though not really offended.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean…" She trails off awkwardly.

"I know." He silences her with a smile. "Shall we go or not?"

Korra nods and in less than twenty minutes they are sitting in the dark but cozy little bar sipping on blue Frostbite liquor and snacking on toasted seaweed and tempura snap-peas. The TV is on and showing a loudly commented ice hockey competition that is taking place up North and the patrons are so focused on the large flat screen that she goes mostly unnoticed which is good because although she isn't a minor she is often mistaken by one in such settings.

They end up chatting and she's shocked by how much she enjoys talking to him be about the sporting event they can hear in the background, about their classes, about the things they miss from the poles or even about the annoying quirks of professor Tarrlok with his fancy long hair and his penchant for wearing too much cologne. She eventually discovers that this is Amon's second college degree and he actually has a job too but whenever she asks what that job is he skirts around the subject and asks her about her a family which leads to her skirting around the subject too until they're talking about something completely unrelated, they do this three or four times through the day, barely noticing that they skipped all their classes to spend the day together rather than just Tarrlok's lecture.

By dinner time they are actually sitting on the tiny stretch of beach near the pier with sand on their toes as they eat takeout seafood noodles and iced tea that he bought, there are also some really expensive honey plum dumplings from a famous bakery that Korra always wanted to try and their price tag makes her curious about his job again so as she cheerfully slurps on her noodles she decides to stop letting him dance around the topic any longer.

"Seriously, what do you do for a living that lets you afford "Yangchen" pastries without a second thought?" Korra almost makes a joke of the question but she's dying to know.

"Something rather dull." He avoids the reply once again. "And how come someone like you has never tried these delicacies? I wouldn't think you'd be hurting for money, unless the Chief cut off your allowance?"

"W-What?" Korra chokes a little on her noodles and has to chug down some tea to compose herself. She didn't think anyone outside the temple she lives in would know that she's related to Chief Tonraq, she always tries to keep it a secret.

"No need to act so surprised. I'm well aware of who you are, Avatar Korra." He spoke with calm and amusement but the words sink in like rocks and she finds herself gaping at him and feeling the blood drain from her face- being found out as the Chief's daughter is bad enough but behind revealed as the Avatar… Well, that's a whole other level of danger.

"I don't know what you're talking about." She retorts automatically.

"There's no need to afraid. Your secret is safe with me." Amon smiles and sips on his drink, surveying her curiously. "What is it like to bend all elements?"

"Why would you think…?" Korra begins to argue but just then a small portion of tea from her plastic cup starts to float up in front of her face and spirals commanded by his fingers, it tips into his own cup before he sips on it again. Suddenly it makes sense and she relaxes. "You're a bender."

"You didn't think you were the only one, did you?" He mocks lightly as she returns to her food, now much calmer.

"Of course not but one can never be too careful." It's true, Korra has learned the hard way that people don't usually accept what's different that well and ever since the airbender genocide all those centuries ago, benders in general have gone underground and become the stuff of legend for the common folk lest they be turned into weapons or experiments for their governments.

She, of all people, has it the hardest though- she's the Avatar, she controls all the elements and she's supposed to keep the peace between the physical and spiritual world, she's supposed to keep the world from destroying itself by maintaining the fragile balance between the elements, she's supposed to ensure harmony between benders and non-benders… And yet all that is made so complicated by the fact that she's the Southern Chief's daughter and more often than not in the public eye. She likes attention, she _really_ does but she likes to earn it with her own worth so, other than wanting her independence after living so isolated, being the Chief's daughter is precisely why she moved to a different country to perfect her skills and finish her studies and she's still insanely grateful that her father keeps her secret instead of trying to take advantage of her power like other members of the family.

"Especially not one like you." Amon highlights.

"How do you even know?" Her eyes narrow suspiciously. "Recognizing another bender is one thing but recognizing the Avatar…"

"We have a mutual acquaintance." He explains. "Dean Tenzin is excellent at keeping secrets but even he can't keep one that big all on his own."

"You're friends with Tenzin? Since when?" She's shocked and then makes a face. "Please don't tell me you're his age, that would creep me out."

"How so?" Amon smirks slightly.

"You look too young to be in your fifties." Korra remarks and looks away with a tiny blush.

"I'm significantly younger but still closer to his age than yours." He admits although reluctant to tell her his actual age.

"I figured." She nods dismissively and looks his way again. "So why did he tell you?"

"He didn't, he merely confirmed my suspicions."

"How did you guess then?" Korra's lips purse a bit too tightly, she hopes she hasn't been too obvious, she's a boastful person by nature and it's hard to always keep her power in check but she's really been doing her hardest to keep herself low-key.

"A couple of months ago I was getting ready to head home after staying in campus past sun down and I happened to pass by the gym. I felt the ground shake and when I investigated further there I saw a lovely young lady from my class whom I knew was from the South Pole, she looked intensely upset and kept punching flames and ceramic floor tiles into a training dummy until it burst and showered her with sand stuffing. Needless to say I put two and two together." He tells the story with light enjoyment, flicking a little beach sand onto her to illustrate the tale.

"Oh…" She remembers that day, she had broken up with Mako on amicable terms just a few days earlier and they chose to stay friends but she had been very upset to find out just that morning that he had gone back to Asami without even telling her so that evening she ended up having a fight with him after kickboxing practice and once he left she couldn't avoid making a mess of the gym to vent all that pent up sadness, anger and frustration. She had never even imagined that somebody had seen her.

"You should be more careful. If it had been a non-bender you would have most likely been in trouble." Amon calmly admonishes as he eats one of the pastries. "The mess was also not easy to explain, I imagine."

"…I know." Korra murmurs sheepishly. "Thanks for keeping quiet."

"You're welcome." He leans back, having finished his food already, and allows his fingers to sink in the cool sand. "Personally, I think we shouldn't have to hide, especially not you."

"I wish we didn't have to either but I'd rather live like this and have peace then bring our people's skill out to the public and risk another genocide or a war." Korra replies, reciting the lesson her parents have been imprinting on her since she was a child.

"Maybe we need a war, maybe this world needs a revolution." He sounds angry now, it's the first time she's heard him this way. "We are all entitled to live in the light as equals, just because some of us can move water, control stone or conjure flame doesn't mean we should hide like spider-rats to avoid disturbing the vast majority."

"…Hm…" She's not quite sure what to say, it's not that she doesn't agree but she thinks he's being too extreme even by her standards.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get carried away like that." Amon apologizes a moment later, sensing her discomfort, and decides that she deserves an explanation. "My father was bender as well and became very bitter towards society after he was forced to run for his life, I never got along with him and he was a terrible man that deserved all that happened to him but I can't help but understand his hatred towards this world that shuns anything extraordinary. I tried disagreeing with him for years but ultimately I saw what made him that way."

"I guess I can understand that too." Korra responds a little hesitantly, she can relate- she remembers when her cousins were discovered to be benders as children and how people treated them like freaks and even their father tried to exploit their skills until they started secluding themselves and became numb and aggressive to everyone as a defense mechanism. She still feels sorry for them even though very few people have the guts to oppose them nowadays. "People like us… We are rare and when we're found the non-benders put us on a supernatural pedestal but then they're afraid of not being able to reach us and fear turns to hate."

"Precisely." Amon fervently agrees. "And yet they don't grasp that we are the ones that are afraid because they are many and we are just a rare few that want nothing more than to be their equal, bending or no bending, we shouldn't have to hide just because the majority feels uncomfortable, we have a beautiful gift that should be shared with the world and they shouldn't have the right to dictate if it's normal or not."

"Not that bending is really that normal though… We have to admit that it's different, maybe not unnatural but different and scary in the wrong hands." She retorts on impulse. "I mean, I can understand if people were afraid of me, considering the things I can do."

"Yes… Perhaps it is out of the ordinary, perhaps it is some supernatural gift that can often be abused but it is not unnatural nor is it frightening." He glances at her and notices her pinched frown, leading him into a speech. "Korra, the power you have is stunning, it is no more frightening than you are. I used to think the way you do as well but I learned the hard way that bending is only as dangerous and scary as the people who use it and you do not deserve fear merely because of your level of power, it is very easy to tell how beautiful you are inside and out and even if it wasn't no nobody has the right to judge for what you _can_ do rather than what you actually do."

"…" She doesn't really know what to say and ends up staring at those ice colored eyes of his quite pensively.

She's met people passionate about bending before, people who crave to come out of the shadows but who are never brave enough to want to force that change; she's met benders that believed they should be the ruling force in the planet, people who think that benders are a superior elite race and therefore above the rest of mankind; she's also met benders that abuse their skills for crime; she's seen some like Tarrlok who treat her like the human incarnation of a god and try to suck up to her in hopes of gaining some status in their tiny community; and there are also benders like Tenzin that just want her to help keep the precarious and secretive balance they have now in a peaceful manner. Yet all of them have one thing in common- whether they hate or worship her, they all respect her control over all elements with a grain of fear.

She's never met someone like Amon though- he doesn't treat her as something godly, he doesn't expect anything from her nor does he fear what she can do, he treats her like an equal and he admires her; he doesn't want benders to rule nor does he want them to hide, he just craves a chance at equality and he's not afraid to fight for it, he has passion and he seems to find bending as beautiful as she does in his own slightly twisted way.

Korra knows she shouldn't but she's starting to like this man way too much and she knows that if she's not careful she's going to do something very stupid out of impulse… Yes, she's aware of all this but that doesn't mean she cares.

"What are you thinking?" Amon asks after a while when the silence drags on and they're merely gazing at the moon hanging overhead in its mantle of stars.

They both realize that it's probably that moon that's making them both feel so emotional and honest, the power of the full moon on a waterbender always makes people like them overconfident and therefore a little reckless.

"That I probably missed the last ferry." She glances at her watch and nods towards Air Temple Island in the distant horizon. Korra knows perfectly well that she could just bend her way back or call Tenzin to come pick her up but she's not about to point that out. "Can I sleep over at your place tonight?"

"I really shouldn't allow that…" He wavers and bites the corner of his lip in a way that makes his handsome self seem almost boyish just before he smirks. "But I guess we both already know how terrible I am with ethics."

She doesn't really get the insinuation just yet but she does end up sleeping at his house. Well, sleeping is not quite the right term, there was a bed and they were both on it but neither of them slept that much that night… Or any of the many nights together that followed until the end of the semester.

~~~~~~.:oOo:.~~~~~~

"So we finally get a class together, huh?" Korra comments with a grin, elbowing her friend playfully. It was the beginning of the new semester and they had just received their new timetables that morning, one of the joint classes for Korra's course was with Asami's so they would have it together twice a week.

"Oh, you mean you're actually going to class for once?" Asami laughs lightly, sipping on her juice as they sit in the cafeteria after a sparse lunch.

"Hey, I haven't been skipping that much!" She retorts defensively, it is true that she and Amon have started skipping several classes a little too often for secret interludes together but nobody has noticed the pattern yet and her grades haven't dropped so she doesn't see the problem. Plus she figures she has to make up for the time they lost while studying for finals, while he worked and she trained with Tenzin during Spring break and because she won't see him as often in the new semester since there were several classes he doesn't need to take this time… She misses him too much already.

"Yes, you have, Korra." A new voice joins in on the conversation and the owner sits next to Asami and places an arm around her shoulders before kissing her cheek. The heiress returns the peck with a smile.

"It's not polite to butt in on other people's conversations, Mako." Korra mutters, trying not to roll her eyes at the sight of them, she can't wait for Bolin to get into college so she'll stop feeling like a third wheel.

It had taken Korra a while to get over her irritation with Asami and Mako but ever since her little escapades with Amon began she has started to forgive her friends. She is still uncomfortable being alone around Mako but if they are all together she's fine albeit annoyed when they fall into that little world of their own and start ignoring her.

"It's true though, isn't it? You're skipping even more than when…" Mako silences himself awkwardly but they all know what he was going to say- when she started dating Mako they also used to skip every once in a while to go make out.

"There's a new guy, isn't there?" Asami pipes in to relieve the tension.

"What? Nooo…" She drags the word almost comically and flushes a little too conspicuously.

"A girl then?" The heiress guesses, not entirely in jest.

"Nope." Korra shakes her head and grasps at anything she can to change the subject, her sight falls on the piece of paper where she scribbled her new timetable and she picks up and waves it at Mako. "So, um… Asami and I have a joint class."

"Really?" Mako compares her scribbles with Asami's impeccably printed out schedule. He never gets joint classes with either of them because the law classes he's taking in junction with his police academy training never have any of the same subjects as the business or the politics courses.

"Sociology." Asami replies and does a fake shudder. "I hear the teacher is tough as nails."

"He is." Mako comments acidly, having read the professor's name off the schedule. "I had him last year. He's really good and actually makes you want to learn the darn subject but he's also insanely strict and worse than the Chief back at the Academy when it comes to grades. It's the only class I nearly failed and considered quitting altogether."

"Ouch." Korra grimaces.

She doesn't want to judge yet but if she didn't have that class with Asami and if the professor is that hard to please she almost considers not going to class and just studying for the tests and presentations at home, after all, she has a tendency to argue too much with these strict types and she doesn't want a repeat of her fiasco with professor Tullik, the coach they nicknamed 'lieutenant' who actually kicked her out of the kickboxing team a few weeks before just for being mouthy.

"We'll be fine, Korra." Asami pats her friends back with a delicate smile. "But don't you even think about skipping and making me face that beast alone, got it?"

"Fine, fine." The Avatar grumbles just as the bell rings for afternoon classes to start.

Korra nearly gags when her two friends share a lengthy goodbye with a grossly sweet display of affection and a tongue version of twister but finally Mako leaves towards his class and Asami loops her arm with Korra's and drags her down the hallway and up the stairs to classroom 83 where their first joint class will take place. They chose seats on the far back but near the center row and wait as all the other students file inside.

"So what's this guy's name again?" Korra grabs her own scribbled timetable in search for the professor's name.

"Noatak." Asami replies. "Here he comes." She whispers as a tall well-built man in a dark suit walks in and plants a briefcase on the table.

Korra is so distracted that she doesn't register what she's seeing at first but then he talks and her expression becomes comically shocked as her jaw drops and her eyes bug out to stare at the man standing strictly in front of the whole class.

"Good afternoon, students. I am professor Noatak and I will be teaching this class for the rest of the semester." The man announces with a deep baritone that sounds foreboding as well as charismatic. "I don't care if you skip class, I don't care if you do your work on your own or in groups, I don't care if you interrupt me in class to present a different perspective or correct me and I am willing to reschedule presentations if you present proper justification. However, there are rules- I am not lenient with grades, I don't accept pointless background chatter in my classroom, plagiarism gets you automatically flunked, I do not reschedule tests, I do not accept late essays and I most definitely do NOT condone cheating."

Of all the eighty-something students in the room the professor glanced purposely at Korra as he spoke that last rule and he smiles almost dangerously, it's that sarcastic smile that often makes her insides flutter and her skin tingle but at that moment she's too shocked to feel those things.

She isn't the only surprised one either, several people from Korra's class are looking pale and shaken and some trade nervous whispers, others just frown or roll their eyes as if this comes as no shock which makes the Avatar realize that his age was probably not the only thing that made the other students snub him, it was the fact that he was also a teacher that intimidated them.

"What's going on with your people, Korra?" Asami murmurs to her friend. "What's wrong with _you_? You look like you saw a ghost."

"Let's just say we know this teacher already." Korra replies with a gulp. It's an understatement, she herself knows him very intimately by now.

"How so?" The heiress blinks her perfectly painted lids, looking confused.

"He's our classmate." She explains, trying to compose herself and nodding at her anxious colleagues. "I guess some of these guys are nervous because they spent the last three semesters treating him like an outcast and now they have to impress him."

"Oh…" Asami trails off but doesn't get to say anything because the professor speaks again.

"One more rule." Noatak picks something up, it's a flat hourglass roughly the size of a notebook and filled with fine golden sand, he flips it and the dust began to trickle very slowly onto the empty space beneath. "My classes and tests are exactly ninety minutes long, as is the time this hourglass marks. Once the class starts I flip it and you are only allowed to leave when the sand runs out, I do not care if the bell rings before that."

With that the first class begins.

Mako was right, professor Noatak is talented at sparking their interest for the subject and he has interesting ideas for their essays and group presentations, Korra finds herself enjoying the subject a lot more than any other simply because he ensures that it is not boring but he doesn't make it easy, in fact his views on certain social aspects sometimes shock the class for how radical they are and only a few seem to agree with him.

She can't help it, Korra ends up loudly expressing her disagreement with him back and forth and not just because of the subject itself but mostly because now that the surprise has faded she's starting to feel angry and lied to- she's not exactly sure what sort of relationship they have but she's knows it's intimate enough that he shouldn't have kept something as important as this job and even his real name from her.

Asami ends up liking the class mostly because she enjoys sitting back and watching her friend bicker shamelessly with the professor over little things concerning social rights and whatnot, the heiress even makes a mental note to tease her friend to no end later because she's sure Korra is just doing this for the teacher's attention, not that she blames her, he _is_ very attractive after all.

When the class ends, the Avatar stuffs her notebook so angrily into her backpack that the thing rips and she groans at the idea of having to carry the darn books under her arm all day. Asami waits for her but just as she's leaving her seat the professor's voice stops her.

"If you don't mind, Miss Korra, I'd like to see you in my office after your classes are over." He requests chillily.

Some of the other students snicker and murmur about her being in trouble yet Korra doesn't care, she intends to give him a piece of her mind anyway so she nods curtly and leaves without looking back.

~~~~~~.:oOo:.~~~~~~

It's sunset and everyone is leaving campus, only the few night classes are starting to arrive but there aren't enough people in them to truly disturb the quiet that begins to fall over the massive buildings of Republic City's community college.

Korra knocks three times on the heavy wooden door of the corner office with such force that it shudders in its hinges, she actually considered just barging in but it seems to be locked. She's about to knock a fourth time when the door opens and the last person she expected to see comes out.

"My, my, if it isn't Avatar Korra." Professor Tarrlok comments with a buttery voice and a flourished bow.

"Hi." She retorts curtly, having already finished Tarrlok's class she's no longer in the mood to pretend to be polite to him. "Is Am- Professor Noatak in?"

"Ah yes, I heard you had classes with my brother this semester." Tarrlok laughs lightly and pats her head in a condescending manner. "Poor girl. If he gives you any trouble with those stern views of his, be sure to tell me and I'll sort him out."

"I don't need…" She begins but then the words really hit her. "Wait… Brother?"

"Yes, older brother unfortunately." He sighs dramatically. "Even at work I can't get rid of him."

"Maybe if you weren't perpetually in MY office, you would feel more comfortable." Noatak's voice suddenly cuts in as the man in question comes into view behind Tarrlok and gestures for her to come inside. "We're done for today, Tarrlok. Now if you'll excuse me, I have matters to discuss with my student."

"Try not to be too rude to the girl, she's very important to our kind after all." The younger brother states a bit mischievously and grabs his coat before waltzing out with a last bow at the Avatar.

Noatak locks the door as soon as the other man is well out of sight, he has long since tossed off his most of the unnecessary garments of his suit and is wearing only black trousers and a dark maroon shirt. He leans his back onto the door and stares at Korra expectantly, clearly aware that she's about to blow her top.

"Amon, huh?" Korra frowns and sits rudely over his desk.

"It is a nickname. Using my real name as a student would cause unnecessary hassle to my professional life, I'd rather keep things separate." He explains apologetically and admits- "It's also part of a little social experiment I was working on."

"So you always hide your real name from your people you fuck or was that just me?" She accuses with a snarl, ignoring the explanation.

"I'm sorry. That was not my intention at all." Noatak states as evenly as possible.

"I feel stupid for taking so long to get the joke." Korra grumbles.

"Joke?" He is a little taken aback by her snarky but calmer tone.

"Terrible with ethics, was it?" She snaps at him grouchily. "I'd say a professor sleeping with a student is worse than just a lapse in ethics."

"Yes, well, in my defense you were my classmate and not my student at the time." He points put diplomatically.

"And now… What? We just pretend it never happened?" Korra snaps at him angrily, the volume of her voice finally begins to rise as predicted.

"Would you be more comfortable that way?" Noatak offers, his face stoic and giving nothing away.

"Fuck no." Frankly, she'd rather quit his class if that meant she could keep sharing a bed with him but she's too angry to admit that and she doesn't even know why she feels that way.

"And why not?" He moves closer until his body is inches from hers and he's finally showing something in that blank face of his- something dark and slightly predatory.

"I…" She wavers, unwilling to admit how she feels and not wanting to give him any ideas. "I just… I don't know but I don't just want to toss all we had out the damn window."

"Do you like me, Korra?" Noatak questions with a smug grin. "I don't just mean the sex, I mean do you honestly like _me_?"

"Well duh! Do you think I just sleep around with any hot guy that buys me dinner?" Korra scowls, visibly offended.

"I like you too, Avatar." He smiles and now he's so close that she can feel his shirt brushing against hers but her scowl deepens at his use of her title and he backtracks slightly. "Not because you're the Avatar. That might have been what intrigued me at first, that and the fact that you were the only one in that class to genuinely want to talk to me and get to know me, but in the end I like you for you."

"Really?" She's skeptical.

"Yes… In fact, I daresay that _like_ might not be strong enough a term." Noatak leans so close that his lips almost touch hers. "I think I might be falling in love with you."

"Oh… Er…" Korra is starting to blush beyond her control and his proximity is making it hard to think properly (why does he have to smell so good?!) but she insists on staying angry and tries to look away from him. "Well, too bad. I'm your student, you're not allowed to love me, remember?"

"There is no law on love, my dear." He chuckles and tips her chin so she has to look him in the eye, cornflower blue meeting ice. "And our private relationship predates our student-teacher relationship after all, it has priority."

"So what?" She pouts and does her best to sound defiant, she's not sure what he's trying to say and she's not certain she's ready to forgive him but she's starting to like where the conversation is heading.

"So the question is- do you want me or will you insist on being stubborn and pretending like you care that I'm your professor?" He snickers, obviously reading her like an open book and enjoying it.

"I…" Korra begins to argue and tries to lean away from him but she's trapped sitting on his desk and she really doesn't want to keep denying him. "Ok, maybe I want you." She admits moodily and lets him wrap his arms around her waist at last.

"I'm happy to hear that." The professor smiles without sarcasm this time and lightly kisses the curve of her neck in an attempt to dampen her irritation, he knows her well enough by now to make use of all her weak spots.

Korra melts and practically purrs with delight at his actions but before he can get carried away she pushes him back a little, pouting almost childishly once again and says- "Don't get me wrong, there's one thing I want to make perfectly clear- I don't want special treatment or easier grades or any of that crap just because I'm with you. In fact I'd rather quit your class altogether than…"

"No, no, that won't be necessary." Noatak waves away the matter with ease.

"It won't?" She's a little baffled, she thought that would be the biggest problem.

"No, I don't mix work with private life." He announces a little sternly compared to his previously affectionate demeanor.

"So…What does that mean?" Korra wonders, her lips quirking to the side as she demands clearer terms.

"Well…" Noatak thinks for a moment and without disentangling from her he taps on the hourglass on his desk, the same one she saw in glass. "Whenever the sand on this is falling I'm your teacher- during that time you will call me Sir or Professor and I will call you Miss, I will forget whatever we have outside the classroom and I will judge your work as strictly as I judge anyone else, and you will be a model student, you will not think or mention anything regarding our private life and you will study hard to pass my class."

Korra listens to the explanation and nods thoughtfully, it's fair enough in her book and she likes those terms. However, she then smiles and asks- "And when the sand is not falling?"

"Isn't it obvious?" He chuckles and presses even closer to her, enjoying the way she wraps her arms around his neck spontaneously. "When the sand is not falling you're not my student, you are my girlfriend."

"I like the sound of that." She titters as well and boldly kisses his lips, allowing their mouths to mash together hungrily and their tongues to battle in slow and passionate exploration. Only when it becomes hard to breathe in that mind-numbing kiss do they break apart and by then her hands are tangled in his hair and she murmurs huskily into his lips. "I might just break that hourglass when the semester is over though."

"The day you do that I might just have to propose to you." Noatak teases although his tone doesn't sound the least bit playful.

"Yeah right." She rolls her eyes but when he merely smirks and gives her a meaningful look her expression changes into mild disbelief. "What? Seriously?"

"I don't date casually, Korra, my life is too complicated for flings. If you get involved with me you have to be aware that I'm looking for a person to share my secrets with, I'm searching for lifelong involvement." He explains, cupping her cheek and kissing her lips a lot more chastely this time. The only reason he's not afraid to tell her this now is because he knows she's not afraid of commitment or of a challenge.

"Geez, pressure much?" The Avatar jabs with yet another exasperated roll of her eyes.

"You can always leave." The professor offers, threatening to step away from her.

"I didn't say I wanted to." She pulls him back to her by his clothes and her arms and legs wrap around him to childishly lock him place.

"Good." Noatak grins and begins kissing slowly down her neck once more, his hands slipping under her shirt to skate up the curves of her waist.

"I guess I won't break the hourglass so soon…" She practically hums out the words and lies back onto the desk, pulling him with her before she whispers into his ear- "But don't get too attached to it either."

~~~~~~.:oOo:.~~~~~~

_(Author's Note: I'm not too happy about the way I did the time-skips but I didn't have **time** to make this longer, not now anyway. Maybe someday._

_By the way, my headcanons for this are that Noatak really doesn't cut Korra any slack in class but he does help by tutoring her for other classes he's already completed and by getting lieu (aka Tullik) to accept her back on the kickboxing team. They also study together when they have finals for other classes. Amon's equalist movement also gets between them later on. Oh and Tarrlok is insanely jealous when he finds out about the relationship, Mako and Tenzin aren't happy either.)_


	4. Day 5- Sci-Fi AU

Day 5: Sci-Fi AU

_Futuristic AU that mashes facts of Book 1 and Book 2. Amon's PoV all the way._

_Rating: T_

_Word Count: 13k words_

_Prompt: **Bottle**_

~~~~~~.:oOo:.~~~~~~

"Sir, are you ready?" The lieutenant questions politely, staring at me with expectant eyes.

I don't even answer, there's no need for such a thing. All I do is glance at him from behind my mask and stand with my usual pose of carefully cultivated control and command.

The stage is wide and high above the masses, the lights are almost blinding and the smoke we use for dramatic effect scratches my throat but it works, I can feel them beneath me- hundreds upon hundreds of people looking up to me, their heartbeats remind me of a hive of angry scorpion-bees and I can feel them beat in time with each other like a gargantuan hum that intensifies with excitement when I stand before them, their eyes glued on the leader than they hope can end the madness, a leader that is no more than mask…

I am a hypocrite.

These people, these followers, they place their faith and their lives in my hands, they demand change and guidance to rid their world of the benders that oppress them and yet they have never seen my face, they know not that I am precisely one of those things they so hate…

It doesn't matter, what matters is that I have the strength and skill to guide them, what truly matters is that I have the power and will to end this and save them all before this polluted decaying world falls apart and swallows them into depths darker than hell itself. They don't need to know who I am, they don't need to know why I do this at all, they just need to trust me.

"Amon! Amon! Amon!" They chant in a deafening litany, crying out for a savoir that can do nothing more than point them in the right direction. They don't understand that my true strength does not reside in my skills but in them, after all what is a general without his army?

"Brothers and sisters!" I cry out to call them to attention, it will not do to have them too riled just yet. "The time has come! The reign of terror pressed upon us will soon come to an end. We have finally found the government's greatest trump, we have finally discovered where they hide their ultimate weapon and tonight we shall end the threat once and for all! We shall change this world and walk together into a new fairer era of equality!"

The speech is short and concise but the people roar in reply to it, this army is already completely under my spell so there is no need to sway or glamor them, all I need is to feed them hope and guide them to action and they will follow, they will lay their life on the line for me and for a better future.

"We leave at 0100 hours, be prepared and remember what you are fighting for!" I say the words with hope in my voice but inside I'm quivering and as I leave the stage I know the majority of these people will not return from this fight, I'm fully aware that many will not live to see another sunrise but if we do not advance now everything we have sacrificed will have been for naught.

Sometimes I wonder why I do this, I know that if I joined the enemy I would be nothing more than a lab rat, dissected for the rare mutation of my power much like my brother before me, but I could easily escape, I could live somewhere far away and dispose of anybody who discovers my abilities with a simple moment of concentration… I don't want to live in secret though, I want to be free… That's what I've been telling myself for years and yet nowadays it's harder to cling on to that desire when all I have become is a mask, a symbol for others to follow.

Nonetheless, someone has to do something- this world is rotten, like an apple with a glossy red surface but putrid and maggot-ridden on the inside and all because of _them_, the benders.

It's not really their fault, I don't hate the benders as much as it seems, they are simply human weapons born in petri dishes or mutated in lab beds, they merely follow orders to ensure they won't become disposable. No, I can't hate the benders, what I hate with every fiber of my being is the people who make them.

Nobody is really sure when it all started but as far as we've been able to assess it all began in a small little country many centuries ago, their technology was rudimentary but they discovered a legendary creature, a being whose kind had been around for millennia but only then had its powers become public, an individual that was unique and only one existed per generation, an existence that could manipulate nature itself- the Avatar.

That Avatar was a woman of unparalleled power and she ruled the land with an iron fist, ensuring the end of all wars against that tiny country but… The life of an Avatar is fickle, shortly after the power of all four elements is mastered they begin to waste away, no human body can withstand it for more than a few short years. When they saw her weakening the government became fearful and greedy, they did not wish to lose the power they had gained so they turned their Avatar into an experiment, they attempted to transfer her power to other living beings.

Many died, the scientists soon discovered that no human body could accept all the elements except the Avatar itself and only a short few had the right genetic markers to accept a single element. In that small country, within that race the 'volunteers' that survived gained the power of air and soon the country won enough power to spread and increase their land through the world, they became known as the nation of Air Nomads and even after their Avatar perished they continued to gain strength.

It was discovered then that the Avatars were born in a racial cycle, the next one came from the icy lands but because that tribal kingdom was divided into two they only discovered the Avatar very late, he was already a grown married man and refused to become a weapon to his chieftains. They swore to gain his cooperation by any means necessary and when his wife was discovered with her face ripped off by army agents he gave in to protect his children, he was already wasting away with barely three decades of life under his belt and could not protect his loved ones with brute strength anymore so that Avatar became the stepping stone for the genetic experimentation that brought forth a new weapon- the people of the icy country discovered that their genetic make up only allowed them to accept the power of water, having evolved surrounded by it, but they were vicious with such skills, the only thing that stopped them from conquering their neighbors was their underdeveloped technology. They became the Water Tribe.

The next Avatar came from the largest and most arid continent. She was strong, so strong in fact that she escaped the government's grasp and attempted to create her own land where she and her followers could live free from the tyranny of the governments and yet even she fell and was dragged back to the laboratory in the capital barely alive and forced to birth a new species of human weapons that could control the land itself. The Earth Kingdom was born and it became the most heavily fortified of all nations.

Then came an Avatar that was easily found in childhood, he was locked in the science facilities his entire life, this nation was easily the strongest both in terms of military and technology but with the Avatar on their side they soon fabricated humans with the last and most vicious of elements in the palms of their hands- fire. The name of Fire Nation was adopted just before all hell broke loose, the Avatar was already dying despite how hard they tried to keep him alive to fabricate more soldiers, after all they needed a living Avatar to provide genetic material for the benders to be created or mutated from living humans, only 10% of all benders could have bender children themselves and such a percentage was unacceptable for an army. Add to that the Avatar's genetic material could not be preserved for more than a few days and this brought panic to the nation that was rapidly eliminating and conquering all others, they did not want to lose their edge.

The Fire Nation Avatar died but government had been hunting down the Air Nomads for years, intent of destroying them all to disrupt the Avatar cycle in a desperate attempt of maintaining superiority and they had discovered a well-kept secret of the wind manipulators- the same genetic marker that allowed to accept their element also made them passive and far too delicate for the ways of war, with that secret revealed to the world they were swiftly crushed in the greatest act of genocide the world had ever seen.

The cycle was believed to be disrupted and after centuries of conflict the world became a nightmare universe where war was the main business, technology revolved on destruction, survival was the only goal and death was as trivial as the change of the tide. The fire Nation could not completely conquer the Northern Water Tribe nor the Earth Kingdom but the centuries of violence changed all the countries- nuclear attacks scarred the land and destroyed precious resources, biological plagues eliminated masses of people, naval confrontations destroyed trading routes, food supplies were compromised and all the while the benders became rarer and yet more and more powerful, developing new sub-skills that made them into perfect elite assassins while the common folk slaved to keep their countries from falling altogether.

And then after so long a new Avatar was found, the Air Nomads had frozen him in stasis as a child in a last ditch effort to preserve their kind; the boy was found by the Water Tribe and his power ended the world war that had been raging for so long. He was allowed to live freely simply because he was the last one with Air Nomad blood and was needed to recreate the lost race, his strength saved the lands from total destruction and a new neutral nation was created to ensure peace and provide all governments with equal rights to each Avatar, spurring the bender population to multiply rapidly once again.

This Avatar wasted away quickly as well but thanks to him a semblance of peace was achieved, unfortunately not all was well- such a peace was merely the result of a cold war where all nations were to frightened of each other's equal level of power to move into the offensive so alliances were formed instead, the world was a pit of misery and corruption and benders were bred so quickly that they soon became more than elite soldiers and human weapons, they became the artificial nobility of the world and the majority of each country's resources went towards maintaining the bender population while the rest of the people starved.

And then another turning point came like clockwork- a new Avatar from the icy lands is now being kept by this 'neutral' government named United Republic. This one is special, it was said the scientists are on the brink of discovering the secret to the cataclysmic Avatar State that will be the greatest trump card towards world domination and with the advancements in technology it will be easy to use this creature to create enough benders that they'll completely overpower the non-bender population into slavery. However, something else has been discovered, something that gives the non-benders hope- if the Avatar is killed in Avatar State then the cycle will end and the governments will forever loose access to that power that makes them so greedy and thrusts them into trying to destroying each other.

That is my goal- to find this ultimate weapon, this Avatar, and destroy it once and for all so the world can finally heal.

Of course I have a personal stake in the matter too.

My father was a waterbending deserter, a renegade. Some benders developed enough independence to deny their governments and run away, a few just want to live like normal humans but many turn to crime in an attempt to gain freedom and power by abusing their skill. Yakone was one of the latter, he got far because of a strange genetic mutation that changed his bending, he was able to bend with his mind rather than his body and he could use the most feared and rare of all skills that only a handful of people had mastered, a skill that could only be attempted during the full moon but that he could use freely all the time, a skill that controlled living blood.

Yet Yakone didn't have power and freedom for long, as soon as the military and scientific communities caught wind of his mutation they hunted him so that he had to fled and live secluded until his death. Nobody knew he had been within the 10% that could father children and nobody was aware that he had passed on his mutation, a genetic fluke that the military was eager to replicate in new super-soldiers; nobody knew… until Tarrlok was caught.

Tarrlok followed our father's footsteps in search for vengeance and power while his older brother Noatak, the man I used to be, simply tried to escape our revenge-driven father in search of freedom; my younger sibling got far and infiltrated the political world but when they discovered his secret he became no more than a curious animal to be experimented on and dissected. That was the day Noatak became Amon and I decided it was time to bring down this dystopian society and create a world of equality, a world free of bending.

Nonetheless I know how much of a hypocrite I am, these people follow me unaware that I am a bender myself, the benders fear me because I developed the skill to completely block their bending but they are unaware that I do so with bloodbending, if they knew I'd probably be another coveted lab rat that the scientists would want to replicate so I hide behind a façade of supernatural power and spiritual intervention and the common folk are desperate enough to believe me and follow me, trusting me to be their messiah when deep down what I want more than to save them is to find my own vengeance.

Ah… How I hate this world.

I despise the power hungry benders; I loathe the greedy politicians and blood thirsty military; I hate the psychotic scientists of the Order of White Lotus that enjoy playing god; I dislike how easy it is to manipulate and control the non-benders; I am disgusted by this grey dirty world of concrete, smoke, black snow and dead eyes where nobody takes pride in their culture and the beauty of nature has been lost and corrupted; I gag at how people can just step over dead bodies without flinching, as if it's no more than a fleeting annoyance; I am repulsed by the way people are more focused on competing with one another be it for survival or simply for status or out of discrimination; I cannot stand how technology is infecting the world like a virus so that simple human contact has been become strange and TV's, radios, computers and cellphones are closer friends and teachers than one's own family, and the ability to use ones bare hands for any craft has become a rare underestimated skill when there is a machine for the purpose in every other corner; it's appalling how humans have become disposable things to one another.

Yes, I hate the world I live in- I can't see any color or joy to be found in it, people disgust me and I hate the curse that swims in my DNA as well but I'm not a man that will easily quit or sit idly to watch while everything turns to clotted blood, rust and dust so I will use all my power, abhorrent as it is, and I will step over anyone I have to in order to change this world, I will fight so that maybe someday I'll be able to change my mind and perhaps find a little something beautiful that will make life worth living again.

"Sir, it's time." The lieutenant snaps me out of my dark thoughts, I don't even know how long he's been standing by my desk waiting for me to acknowledge him but he's right, we have five minutes before it's time to leave.

"Very well, let us end this." There's ice in my voice, I wonder when I began to sound so much like my father… It doesn't matter, nothing matters other than the mission.

The facility is located in the small island that faces the city, it is heavily fortified and reaching it unseen is difficult but we have the cover of night and the aid of one of the greatest local weapons manufacturers, with the right distractions we can reach the lab and fulfill this mission before dawn even though many of our people will have to become live bait.

The majority of our forces attacks head on, our planes and ships are no match to government jets and missiles but we are ready, their submarines and heavy weaponry are all prepared to defend from the sea but they never expected an attack from the direction of the city itself and due to the shallow waters of low tide they will take too long to move their defenses.

Explosions light the night, floating bodies and marine mines dot the stormy waters, electric flashes and foamy splashes as tall as buildings color the horizon, screams fill the air and the scent of gunpowder, salt and blood invades the senses but the battle is even, violent and brutal but even, our larger numbers help balance the play field against the benders in their little fortress; normally the metalbender police would intervene and end this but I made sure to disable its main members in a covert operation just yesterday, some of them even thanked me for ridding them of their burden, others were not so cooperative.

While my comrades fight, I take a different route. Normally I would be at the head of the battle but my skills are needed for the real mission so I infiltrate the island secretly and quietly from a shabbily guarded direction with my small group of four others including the lieutenant and the Sato girl who has become an invaluable fighter in recent years and whose father is our greatest supporter though I fear she might leave us soon, a renegade bender has captured her heart and I can see her resolve to aid us faltering little by little each day.

The facility is a labyrinth and we lose a man during the fight but Asami is very good at extracting information by any means necessary and soon a reluctantly helpful guard has led us straight to the main laboratory. We are attacked at once, the scientists of the White Lotus are bookworms and not competent fighters but they are rabidly desperate to defend their research- my elite warriors make quick work of them nonetheless and I head to the armored cell in the back of the room where my target is sure to rest.

A man I've known once upon a time gets in my way, he used to be a friend and mentor of the brother I lost and it's clear he doesn't want to fight, I can tell that much by his anxious stance and the beads of sweat forming on his bald tattooed head but he stands his ground nonetheless. I pity him, I know Tenzin hates being a puppet to the government but he and his children are the last of the airbenders and they will never be allowed to go free, the United Republic has been studying them to find a way to recover the airbenders and make them into the new main force of the nation by rewiring the passivity gene, so far they have been unsuccessful but that only means that Tenzin and his family are to be kept even more secluded as precious study specimens.

"Out of my way." I order, knowing full well he won't obey but wanting to give him the option nonetheless.

"Please, don't do this!" Tenzin pleads, taking a defensive bending stance. "Don't hurt the Avatar, you don't understand…"

"I understand that destroying that monster is the only way to end this insanity." I retort with scorn.

"I won't let you." The airbender states, full of determination, and blows back my companions with gusts of wind so strong and movements so fast that I'm sure he could kill in the blink of an eye if the man were not so averse to that level of violence.

I don't budge, nobody can tell but I'm redirecting his attacks with bloodbending just enough so I can dodge with ease and grace and before long I'm engaged in close combat with the man. I despise Tenzin, I pity him and his loved ones but I also despise him, I blame him for not helping Tarrlok when they brought him to this very facility for their experiments and because of that resentment I might be going a bit too far but in a few swift moves of chi-blocking and blunt force I have the man on his knees and in seconds my thumb is on his forehead and his bending is gone.

I watch Tenzin crumple, paralyzed and weeping, likely afraid of what his failure might mean for his children that will be forced to take his place. I wish I could simply end him and spare him the suffering of seeing his offspring used by the government but if everything goes as planned I won't have to, if I succeed the government will fall and Tenzin's family will be saved simply because I will take all of their bending and make them useless as weapons and therefore free.

I'm surprised to find the cell open, perhaps they didn't have time to lock it before I arrived but it makes me wonder why they would be so confident that their precious Avatar wouldn't just escape… Such a question is soon answered when I set foot inside the cell.

Bottle. That is the first word that comes to my mind in this place because the massive glass container in front of me that is filled with gel-like blue liquid looks exactly like a gigantic bottle and inside it is a living entity like some sort of strange art piece, like the bottled ships that used to be sold long ago in art stores, when art was actually still something of value.

I take a step closer to get a better look at the floating body suspended in the thick liquid with a myriad of needles piercing it and connecting it to the many colorful wires and tubes that come out the neck of that bottle, making the body look like a bizarre inanimate puppet lit only by a soft backlight glow coming from the bottom of the contraption.

My legs almost buckle and I nearly fall to my knees before that creature, Tenzin was right- I don't understand, I don't think it's possible to understand this sight.

She is… Beautiful… Spellbinding… Unbelievable… Perfect… I cannot, for the life of me, find the right adjective to characterize the woman that hangs suspended in stasis before me as naked as a newborn.

Her long chestnut hair is floating in slow moving waves, her dark dusky skin is flawless and I crave to touch it and confirm if it's as silken as it looks, she is curvaceous yet not soft looking like most women but rather strong with well-defined musculature despite her dainty size, her face is blank from the forced sleep but it looks proud and strangely innocent, her lips are plump and kissable, her eyes are not fully closed and regardless of the half-lidded empty stare I can see lovely sky blue irises and dilated pupils hidden by thick black lashes.

It's not just her physical appearance that awes me, there's something about her that draws me like a magnet and invisible power spills from her strongly enough to make we shiver and want to kneel at her feet, the effect she has in me is almost like the pull of the moon on the ocean's tides. I don't want to destroy something this perfect and untainted.

"Woah…" A voice startles me and I notice Miss Sato now standing behind me and sporting a dislocated shoulders from the force with which she was flung into the wall.

"Is that the Avatar…?" The lieutenant has joined us too, he seems to be carrying a holo-tablet with research data and riffles through the digital files between glances at the being in front of us. Our third comrade seems to have fallen unconscious in the other room.

"She looks younger than me… Poor thing…" I hear Asami sniffle and I wonder what's going through her head. "Living like this must be hell."

"I doubt she's even conscious enough to know who she is." The lieutenant scoffs and then pauses to read something in the research files. "Actually she might be brain dead already."

"How do you figure?" I enquire, trying to keep the sudden panicked tremble out of my voice while I remain frozen in place.

The lieutenant taps the translucent tablet with digital information and points at the back of his head as he explains- "According to this for the past year they've been keeping her in stasis and they've been using direct electro shocks to her medulla to induce the Avatar State as a way to study it. I doubt her brain went through that unscathed, it's probably as fried as can be without killing her."

For some reason that I don't understand a cold sensation of terror and fury is choking me and making my blood run cold, I only just laid eyes on this girl and already I wish I could murder the people that did this to her with my bare hands, already I wish I could gather her in arms and watch her wake up… What am I thinking? I came here to destroy her, not to… To what? Fall in love with her comatose form? How much of a fool am I?

"Let's put her out of her misery." My lieutenant announces and heads to a control board I hadn't even noticed yet which is odd, I pride myself for my attention to detail.

He reads another clip of information on the files he has salvaged and locates a switch on the board, with a flick to the little rubber knob everything changes- there's a fizzing sound of electricity and yellow sparks of it go off inside the bottle. Suddenly the ground is shaking, the light bulbs in the room are bursting into flame, the air becomes heavy and choking and the woman in the bottle… the woman convulses and all her limbs stretch, she trembles and appears to let out silent screams that disrupt the thick liquid around her causing bubbles to form everywhere as her eyes open wide and glow with intense white light that seems to burn into my soul.

"So this is the Avatar State…" I hear the lieutenant mutter in awe and then a pained grimace takes over his face; he looks at me and tosses me a vile of purple liquid. "Go on, sir, end her quickly. This hurts to watch."

I approach the gigantic bottle, intent on poisoning the Avatar or perhaps on using bloodbending to kill this being once and for all while she is still in this State so that no others like her can ever arise again but… She's not what I thought she would be, she can't even fight back and that leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.

"What are you waiting for?!" The lieutenant snaps at me when I hesitate, I'm almost hoping the electricity will overload and kill her so I won't have to. "The longer you delay the more she suffers and if you don't hurry the damn machine will just shut off automatically."

I stare at the my right-hand man and then at the woman that still stands by the door unable to watch the gruesome spectacle directly, then my sight falls on the purple vile in my hand…

I drop it. The tiny test tube vile crashes onto the ground and shatters into dozens of tiny pieces glittering under the flashes of electrical shocks while its contents spill all over the tile floor.

I hear both people shout and call out to me but I no longer hear anything, the sound of buzzing electricity is driving me insane and smothering everything else, I don't recall when I took hold of the lieutenants kali sticks but suddenly I'm slamming them into the glass at full force so that it shatters in one deafening stroke. The torrent of blue fluid that spills out of the broken gargantuan bottle knocks all of us off our feet and still conducts enough electricity to knock us out.

I wake up first, I'm soaked and feeling a little numb from the shock with pinpricks all over my skin, the cell is dark now seeing as the stasis gel seems to have short-circuited everything around us but there's just enough light from the emergency lamps to show me my surroundings.

I find the naked Avatar sprawled on the ground just next to me, she's devoid of any light now with her knotted hair on her face and completely motionless, I have never prayed before in my life but suddenly I'm begging Yue, La, Agni and any other God I know to let me find the girl alive.

I tear the many different wires and needles off her beautiful body and lift her to my lap, she's cold to the touch and her head lolls back, she's not breathing and I cannot sense a pulse but although I came here to kill her I find my hand hovering over her chest to bend her blood and force her heart to pump again and her lungs to move. After a full minute I start to believe that my efforts are useless and that the Avatar is truly gone but then out of the blue her heart pulsates on its own and then starts to beat in a slow but steady rhythm; she coughs mechanically, retching up impossible amounts of blue stasis fluid but at last she breathes on her own and begins to shiver from the cold.

"She's alive." I hear relief in my own voice and I can't logically understand it but I don't think I would have been able to keep going if she had died like that. I still don't know if what I'm doing is right, I don't even know if she'll ever wake up or have the mental faculties to be as conscious as a normal human being but I just can't stand the idea of something so beautiful, innocent and unsoiled by this cruel world dying without at least getting a fighting chance.

I hear a groan and watch Miss Sato sit up, she too is trembling and clutching her injuries with an agonized expression but she says nothing and merely nods at me in a silent expression of understanding. The lieutenant awakes a minute later, sputtering liquid and glaring in my direction.

"What the fuck are you doing, Amon?!" He shouts, never once has he been disrespectful to me before but I can understand the fury, he has dedicated his life to this plan, he must feel betrayed by my change of heart.

"Change of plans." I announce, making a spontaneous decision that is so unlike me. "We're taking the Avatar with us."

"What?! Why?!" The man yells as I stand with the naked girl in my arms and Asami rushes to cover the Avatar with her own coat. "This is not what we came here for!"

"Then you kill her." I shoot at my mustached companion, daring him to do it.

In two seconds the lieutenant draws a dagger from his boot with an angry snarl and approaches me and the creature in my arms, he raises the sharp shiny blade to her vulnerable throat but his hand trembles and moments later he is cursing under his breath and stepping back with a defeated look on his face, he can't murder a helpless girl any more than I can but he hides behind the excuse that killing her without the Avatar State would be pointless.

"I hope you know what you're doing." He snaps at me.

"I do. She shall be our ace in this war." I state, finding excuses to convince myself of why I want to take her with us, to save her.

We leave swiftly. I carry the Avatar as if she's the most precious thing I've ever held while the lieutenant carries our other unconscious companion, not only do we refuse to leave a living comrade behind it also adds to the illusion that the girl is one of us and not somebody we just kidnapped from the laboratory.

Exiting the island is easier than I was expecting, our forces are already retreating after the attack but we dealt a stronger blow to the capital's main research facility than we could have ever expected and my army brings home enough prisoners to equalize to make up for those we lost. However, the girl is kept a secret even from my people, for all anyone knows our mission to eliminate the Avatar was a success and the newcomer we brought home is just another wounded ally.

~~~~~~.:oOo:.~~~~~~

It took two weeks but the day the Avatar opened her eyes on her own accord came faster than anyone expected… Actually, nobody really believed she'd ever really wake up but nonetheless I visited her bed every day expecting some sort of change and I just so happened to be there when she stirred and opened her eyes, staring at me blankly and blinking. I didn't dare say a word and waited, hoping that her awakening meant she was more than just conscious.

"Where… am I…?" The question slipped past her lips in a croaky voice and I almost sighed with relief.

"Safe." Was my only reply at the time, she looked frightened but feral as well and acted like a caged beast even though she was too weak to move.

"What are you… What will you do to me?" Her voice was too cracked to come out as more than a whisper but she growled the enquiry menacingly and tried to get up.

"Nothing that you don't agree to. We are as different from the White Lotus as can be." I explain calmly, coaching her to lie back down; once she did I began to pet her hair on instinct and she slowly began to quiet down.

"So I'm not your lab rat?" She sounded almost suspicious.

"Not at all, you are…" I wavered. What was she to me? A victim? A prisoner? No, not if it could be helped. Then what? My salvation? Why would I need such a thing? Maybe she could be the new guiding light for my army despite the irony in it?

"What?" She insisted abrasively.

"A person. Not a lab rat, a woman and our companion if you'd like." I didn't really think the answer through and she didn't seem trusting enough to accept it but she nodded nonetheless and allowed herself to relax.

She didn't speak much more after that, in fact she just said she wanted water and after drinking half a bottle of it she began to doze off and fell asleep once again. I didn't want to leave her side nor could I do so because she had latched on to my hand and refused to let go even in sleep, she had a surprisingly strong grip for someone so small and weakened but even if she hadn't I think she would have woken the moment I tried to leave so I chose to stay no matter how uncomfortable the chairs of our infirmary were.

She woke several hours later, appearing somewhat more composed and looking around her with curiosity, she only began to panic when I medics arrived to examine her but I managed to soothe her into trusting them and soon she was sitting in bed and being given permission to eat real food for what seemed to be the first time in years for her even though it was only oatmeal porridge. I was a bit shocked that she seemed to derive some sort of comfort from my mask and the feeling of my hand in hers, almost everyone I ever met was intimidated by the polished expressionless surface of my fiberglass mask and my hands held a power that tended to awe people yet this girl clung to both like a child clings to a favorite toy.

"So…Um…" The Avatar muttered shyly with her mouth full of porridge. It was rude but endearing as she seemed to be savoring the meal to the point of tears. "What's your name anyway?"

"You may call me Amon." I replied, wondering why her first question was my name rather than what was happening and why she was with me.

"You the boss around here?" She asked, still shoveling food into her mouth.

"Something of the like, yes." I stated nonchalantly, I don't like calling myself a leader, it gives a terrible impression of presumptuousness.

"So why did you save me from the Order?" The Avatar enquired, still holding onto my hand and requesting more porridge that I ladled into her bowl mechanically.

"…To be perfectly honest we didn't intent to rescue you." In hindsight I shouldn't have been that frank but she wasn't bothered by it.

"Going to kill, weren't you?" There was a smirk on her lips as she spoke.

"Aren't you afraid?" I found her reaction strange and completely illogical but the more this puzzling creature spoke the more I was intrigued by her.

"You're taking care of me and feeding me, you wouldn't do that if you still wanted to kill me." The Avatar highlighted her words by swallowing a large mouthful of oatmeal.

"True." I conceded to her logic.

"So what do you want?" She asked innocently.

"To end the madness." I stated seriously. "Our group desires to end this bending rule and constant warring to create a world of equality for all."

"Hm…" She paused with the spoon in her mouth, apparently thinking to herself. "I guess that's better than any of the other assholes who kept me so far."

"What is your name, Avatar?" I enquired, stunned by her easy trust.

"Korra. My name is Korra." She smiled at me, I never understood what 'butterflies in the stomach' meant until that moment.

Korra. I found that I liked the way that name sounded on my tongue- rough and yet delicious.

She was unusually trusting considering what she had endured and we began to talk. She claimed she was born in the South Pole to parents who were runaway waterbenders but she hadn't seen them since she was claimed as Avatar at the precocious age of four; speaking of age, she wasn't sure how old she was anymore after being stuck in stasis so long but I really didn't care about such details anymore.

In the midst of conversation I noticed that for the first time in… I'm not sure, it has been so long that I stopped counting but for the first time in years I felt strangely at ease and even amused, in fact I guess I could state that I was happy to see her alive and coherent even if I had no reason to be attached to her at all. Initially a part of me had believed it was just because I couldn't use her if she was catatonic or brain dead but in those weeks in which she was comatose in my grasp I started to be certain that it was more than that, there was just something about the girl that intrigued me on a very personal level.

Even though we are at war and luxury is the last thing we can afford, I've done my best to supply her with the things that make her most comfortable; she's not too picky, a set of Water Tribe clothes and freedom to discreetly explore the town with Miss Sato have been enough to make her smile and that little smirk of hers does strange things to me, I cannot get it out of my head.

In the weeks that followed her awakening I wouldn't let her out of my sight for more than five minutes, initially because I did not trust her not to try to escape but the more time I spent with the girl the more I became sure that she wouldn't betray out hospitality, she had nowhere else to go. Still, I didn't want her out of my sight for long but it was mostly because I began to like her for _who_ she was and not _what_ she was and her presence made the ugly grey world around us feel a little more colorful.

Korra is strong, both physically and in personality, she likes to brawl with pretty much anyone that grinds her gears, she has no problem showing off her bending (she is actually proud the hateful skills which is strange to me) and she got into verbal spats over the stupidest things, particularly with me, but I like her energy and her rebellious attitude- after all the equalists are a rebellion in essence, aren't they?

A lot of people in my ranks didn't and still don't like Korra, she's constantly warned not to show off her bending but she refuses to hide it and although it was never said out loud everybody became quickly aware that she was the Avatar and the only reason why she hasn't been immediately shunned is because I keep them all believing that sooner or later she will be the key to end the bender oppression.

She's actually on board with the idea to take down the current world order, apparently being treated like a lab rat her whole life has made her severely bitter, but she isn't so keen on the idea of eliminating bending altogether and stubbornly insists that benders and non-benders can co-exist. I wish I could agree with her, Korra still has no idea that I am a waterbender myself and I know that if she knew she'd be even more adamant that benders and non-benders can live together but the way I see it I am merely a liar manipulating non-benders with my power and not the selfless leader she believes me to be.

I've never had such guilt and self-disdain in my life, I've always been confident and goal-oriented but she's so naïve and virtuous that for some reason she brings out a more conscientious version side of me; it's peculiar, I find myself trying to impress her and compromise with her even though not long ago I would have found compromise to be impossible with benders.

My advisors have been warning me not to give her too much free reign, they says that Miss Sato has been getting too close to a pair of young renegade benders lately and Korra has started liking them a bit too much as well. This troubles me, from a practical point of view renegade benders are not a real threat at moment seeing as they hide from the government as much as we do, from a moral point of view they are a terrible influence and will need to be equalized eventually as well yet the greatest problem is that every time I see Korra with those boys who pride themselves of what they are and swoon her with ease I feel jealousy as I have never felt before. This is a foreign sentiment for me and I want nothing more than to stop worrying about it but I can't help but be possessive of the Avatar, I can't help but feel pained when those youngsters make her smile more easily than I ever could.

I shouldn't be so focused on personal feelings, I shouldn't even be empathizing so much with the Avatar, the revolution has come to a pathetic standstill due to my sudden affection for the girl but luckily the world governments are falling into disorder as it is without their most precious weapon, I only pray that they do not catch wind of her before I can devise a plan to ruin them forever.

~~~~~~.:oOo:.~~~~~~

It's been eight months since our raid on the island, the Avatar grows stronger every day and the world is in disarray. The two sides of the Water Tribe have broken into two separate countries and as ironic as it is the North Pole has joined forces with their longtime nemesis, the Fire Nation, to declare war against the Earth Kingdom, it is only a matter of time before one of these forces decides that the United Republic's neutrality is pointless without the Avatar in their grasp and when that happens the war will come to us.

Korra is determined to fight, she believes that her power can change the world, she thinks that she can make the rulers and armies bend to her rather than use her and she's been proving her skill by fighting at my side, she's almost convinced me that she can do it but I'm not willing to take the risk of exposing her, I've come to care for her too much.

I've been working on an alternative plan, I will need Korra to help guide the world and lead a new order but before that I hope to take the bending of the highest ranking officials of each nation seeing as even they are benders nowadays and I have been planting the seeds that will undermine the rule of kings, chiefs and presidents until all governments have fallen and will need to rebuild from scratch. It's easy to manipulate people's greed and suspicion, it's very simple to sow discord between the wealthy, the nobility and the politicians so long I find the right pieces to influence on this chess board.

Mine is a complex and dangerous plan, it will take time and might not work in the least but if it allows us a way to start society from square one, if it saves Korra from being hunted down further and turns her into a respected symbol of hope, then it will be worth it.

I worry for her, she shows more power than I ever thought possible but though she hides it she's been starting to feel the curse of being Avatar too- she thought I wouldn't notice when she gets sick, she thought I wouldn't see the pallor of her skin or the blood when she coughs, she thought I wouldn't realize that the more power uses the more her body consumes itself. She thought I wouldn't notice but I have.

A few short months ago I went on a rather dangerous assignment, returning to the North Pole in the eve of war was the last thing I wanted to do but they have the best healers in the world and the best medical research centers. I was prepared to take what I wanted by force if need be but I was lucky enough to find a group of researches willing to help me in exchange for something as simple as safe passage into the United Republic in order to escape the brewing conflict, they have since joined our equalist forces and I have easily persuaded them that the seeking a solution to strengthen the Avatar's health and prolong her life is far more useful than studying her powers.

The lieutenant thinks I've gone mad, he believes I've lost sight of our true goal but I haven't, it's just that another priority has become more important to me… I'm not quite sure what that priority is but I know that if I lose Korra I won't be able to keep fighting for anything, not with conviction anyway and certainly not with hope.

Korra hates the new medics and researchers, every time they try to do tests on her or try new medications she becomes angry, sometimes I even find her crying and cursing, she always threatens to leave altogether just to escape the needles and drugs and people in lab coats yet she never does, she always comes back to me and clings to my hand until I've managed to convince her that everything will be alright.

I think she knows more than she's willing to tell me, I'm sure she's aware that the more she uses her powers the quicker her body will degrade and I think she knows exactly why that happens to the Avatars but she refuses to tell me and insists that if her life must be short than at least she will live it fast and to the fullest, she wants to burn out rather than fade away.

I want to confront her, I don't like being in the dark and not having all the available information especially if she is needlessly endangering herself, I need to get her to talk which is why I'm going to her room right now. Asami actually offered to share her place with the Avatar but Korra refused and opted instead for a room not too far from mine in our underground fortress; I hope she's there now, knowing her she might just have skipped out to do something impetuous.

I knock at the door but although there is a scuffling sound inside the room I don't get any answer.

"Korra?" I question, knocking curtly once again.

"Go away." Her voice is muffled but she sounds… strange. She doesn't sound angry or anything remotely similar as her demand would imply, she simply sounds tired.

Rather than reply I turn the knob and enter her room unceremoniously, locking the door behind me. I find her sitting on the floor with her back to the bed and hugging a pillow with her face buried in it; around her are many bottles, some are broken and others just spill their contents onto the scuffed wood floor, they are the many flasks of medication that the medics insist she take but now they are scattered about and I imagine she must had thrown them all to the ground in a fit of rage or frustration.

"I told you to go away, Amon." She mutters into the pillow as I side-step broken glass in order to sit beside her on the bed. It's not the first time she throws a tantrum but it's the first time I see her acting so depressed about it, if it were any other person I would have no patience for such fits but she is different.

"You know me well enough to know that I won't do that." I state as stoically as always.

"I just want to be alone." She retorts without looking at me. What a bad liar. I know for a fact that being alone is what she hates the most.

"Right." I reply with sarcasm that started to use thanks to her and look around the room to spot more signs of her anger- a broken picture frame and scorch marks on the wall. "What have the medics done to upset you this time? Or was it one of the other equalists?"

"Neither." She scoffs and turns away from me, still hugging her pillow.

"Are you in pain then?" I constantly worry about that but she's the sort of person to get frustrated towards pain rather than succumb to it.

"Not physically." Korra states dismissively.

"Then how?" I'm getting suspicious and wondering who might have hurt her, if I find out the perpetrator I might very well have a few necks to ring soon.

"…It doesn't matter." She hesitates and then shrugs.

"I won't leave until you talk to me." I insist, refusing to let her dodge the matter and resisting the urge to tell her to just suck it up and talk.

"I got dumped, ok?" Korra snaps irritably.

"Excuse me?" Her words are like a slap, I didn't even know she was dating anyone… How could I not notice that? No, I must have misunderstood.

"Well, not really dumped. I kissed a guy and he rejected me." She explains with the most juvenile frown and then buries her face in the pillow once more. "Spirits, I'm an idiot."

"I see…" I'm not sure what to tell her. It stings me that she has a romantic interest but it hurts even more to see her so upset about it.

"Why am I moping? I don't even like him that much!" She runs her hands through her messy hair in total frustration and huffs. "Ok, maybe I do like him but I know I shouldn't and the only reason I came on to him is because we're a perfect match but damn it…! He's Asami's anyway so why did I have kiss him?" She seems to me admonishing herself.

"You are the Avatar, ill and up to your neck in worries of worldwide war and yet a boy manages to upset you this much by denying your affection?" She's such an incomprehensible creature, I'll never understand her priorities.

"It's not just Mako, ok? I like him but the only reason I want him is because I can't have who I really want… I just wanted a little bit of that joy Asami has…" Korra's voice keeps dropping lower and lower and I can see the shame and regret stamped on her face. "Oh Yue, I feel like a bitch now… She's my friend and I kissed her boyfriend out of jealousy! She's going to hate me."

"No, she won't." I correct with ease, I know Miss Sato doesn't keep grudges and she will probably understand that it was merely an unrequited crush and not a willing act of offense.

"Why do I always make such a mess of things?" She shakes her head and sighs.

"Korra…" I consider what to tell her as slip off the bed and sit at her level on the floor. I usually hate any personal talk and can't stand displays of emotional weakness but I have to remember that she's still young and I really do want to help her in any way I can. "You acted on your feelings and got burned, that is how we learn and I'm certain that if you truly regret it they will forgive you. Now it's time to learn from it and grow."

"That's your advice? Just say I'm sorry and move on?" She snaps angrily at me.

"Trust me." I request, I'm certain of my advice but she only turns more acerbic.

"Trust you?! That's all easy for you to say, you're incapable of loving anyone!" Korra actively yells now and the accusation stings me.

"What makes you say such a thing?" I'm trying to remain calm and stoic, trying to understand but my reaction appears to incense her further.

"You're all just strategy and war and facts! You don't even let the people closest to you look at your damn face! You don't feel anything." She shouts with fervor, gesturing at my mask. "You ask me to trust you but you're nothing more than a cold shiny mask, why should I trust that?"

"Well then why should I trust you?" I snap back, unable to help myself. "You lie to me constantly, Avatar."

"What?!" She looks offended but I'm not about to let her off the hook now, not when she opened the door to this discussion herself.

"Don't give me that look, you know exactly what I mean." I accuse bitterly. "You know more about the Avatar's existence and powers then you are willing to tell us, you understand the secret to why you're sick but you won't share it even though I'm trying so hard to save you!"

"You don't want to save me! You just want me to last long enough to help you win your battles." Her snide tone forces me to bite my tongue just so I won't raise my voice as well.

"Even so I do want to save you, I want help you." I defend as composed as I can.

"Liar! You care about nothing but your stupid cause!" She shoves me back and snarls.

"I care about _you_!" I hold her by the shoulders and the words slip out too loudly and too strongly, I never meant to say it that way but I couldn't stop myself.

"Prove it." She demands without pulling away from my grasp, her glare could burn a hole through the wall, I'm sure.

"Prove it?" I enquire, wondering what she has in mind.

"Take off the mask." Korra's tone is almost sulky now and the request puzzles me.

"Is my appearance really that important to you?" It irks me that she finds the need to look at my face more important that the need to trust my words and judgment.

"No! What's important is you trusting me enough to let me see what's under it!" She crosses her arms in defiance and I'm taken aback by her reasoning.

"How will that change anything, Korra?" I stall, trying to deny her without offending her further. "How will that possibly help you in any way?"

She gives me a stubborn but pained look and then suddenly leans towards me so quickly that I can't escape before she rests her lips against the mouth of my mask in a frustrating kiss that leaves me confused and utterly shocked as well as wanting more, I can barely just feel her breath slipping into the mask.

When she pulls back, her cheeks are crimson and she murmurs-"Because then I can do this on the real you."

"Korra…" I hear myself sigh, I haven't sighed in front of anyone in… Well, ever. I'm so lost, I thought she was supposed to be upset about the other boy's rejection so when did this conversation become about me?

"Forget it." She surrenders in face of my hesitation and shrugs herself away from me in order to hide her face in her pillow again.

I'm not sure whether to feel thrilled or dejected at the moment, I've long since accepted that I have feelings for this girl but I never intended to act on them because not only is she far too young next to me, she also deserves someone that can be dedicated to her and make her smile and I am not that man, I am too consumed by my cause and I am far to cold-hearted and practical to give her the affection she needs, not to mention that I am too deeply scarred by loss and I simply refuse to burden her with my despondent self, she's suffered enough as it is.

She sniffles and something in me cracks wide open, I catch my hand inching towards her shoulders with the intent of hugging and comforting her but I pull it back before I can touch her. For the first time in my memory I have no idea what to do and how to proceed, I am somewhat aware that she probably only wants my affection to make up for the other boy's rejection but I want to take advantage of it anyway though I know it is not honorable in the least. In the end I take a slow breath and resist my urges.

"Korra, I understand that you are heartbroken but I am not a suitable replacement for any other man." I tell her with a slight hint of annoyance in my voice.

The Avatar lets out a loud bark of hysterical laughter that nearly startles me and makes goosebumps dance over my skin when she finally looks at me again, her eyes are red and wet and I feel the intense impulse to wipe away stray tears with my thumbs. She looks so angry now but that's better than seeing her as melancholic as before.

"You're not the replacement, jerk." She shoots at me with a sullen scowl and then turns away again, curling more into her pillow and speaking in a tiny voice. "He was."

"Oh." The meaning of her words hits me like a thunderbolt and I'm unable to articulate anything more eloquent than that single syllable. How long as she felt this way? And how did I not notice?

"Leave me alone, Amon." She sighs tiredly. "If that's even your name."

I should leave, I know that and I want to but my legs refuse to move and my hands are shaking. I'm a terrible match for her, I was going to kill her, for Spirit's sake! I'm sure I must be twice her age and someone as bright and beautiful and wild should not be stuck to someone like me who is her opposite in every way. I'm the worst person for her to love so why am I suddenly so happy to hear those depressed words of hers?

"Why?" The question comes out before I can think it through.

"Why what?" She asks tiredly and looking embarrassed beyond belief.

"Why do you have such feelings for me?" The doubt is nagging me and preventing me from accepting the glee.

"I just do." She mumbles.

"Not good enough." Please, don't let her say it's because I saved her, if that is the only reason she cares for me I'm afraid I won't be able to look her in eye again.

"You understand me." The reply takes me by surprise once again and I stare at her, needing to hear the rest. "You know what it's like to have unusual powers and to be hunted and hated and loved by so many people. You know the pressure, you know the pain and the loneliness… And even though I pretty much represent everything you hate, even though you could have just killed me and ended the Avatars for good you still chose to let me live and you let me be a real person, you don't worship me nor do you treat me like an experiment but you're there for me anyway…" She trails off nervously, as if saying these things bares her to immense vulnerability.

"I see." I never thought about it that way, I never considered that two people who are the opposite of one another can actually be so similar in so many ways. And now I want to hold her more than ever.

She shrugs and trembles slightly, I can tell her face is red again even though she won't look at me and she's clutching the pillow so hard that I'm afraid she might rip it. I'm not sure whether to discourage her, comfort her or merely leave her be. For once I have no answer so perhaps it's time to act for a change.

It's nerve wracking to take the mask off after years having to wear around every living being, it makes me feel uncomfortably vulnerable but I know her room is a safe place and for some reason I trust her- why would my identity be threatened by her anyway? Just because she can see my face does not mean she knows who I am nor does it ruin the effect I have on my followers… These are excuses, of course, I just don't want to admit that I'm afraid she won't like what's under the mask.

I set my fiberglass shield aside, she still hasn't noticed from her turned position so I lower my hood and reach out to touch her shoulder. She flinches and turns, intent on snapping at me to leave again but the words die on her lips and she sits there so dumbfounded to see my face that she even drops the pillow she was using as a buffer.

"As you can see I'm not so special after all." I tell her lightly, mostly to break the silence and she blushes furiously in reply, I cannot phantom why.

Korra tries to say something but she's stammering too much, I assume she's too shocked to get the words out, luckily her actions speak for her- she kneels and cups my face in her hands, caressing heedless of evening stubble and starting to slowly smile before she tips her head and kisses me for real this time.

I'm not sure what I expected but this kiss is better than anything I could have dreamed up- her lips are soft and velvety like flower petals but they mold to mine hungrily and almost forcibly, her breath is tainted with the bitterness of medicine but still sweet and spicy reminding me of ginger and honey, her tongue is too eager and clumsy but the way it caresses mine and explores my mouth makes my head spin. She's so inexperienced with this but for some reason it's the best kiss of all my four decades, perhaps because it's first time I truly have feelings for the one I'm kissing.

Part of me says I should push her back but instead I wrap my arms tightly around her and kiss just passionately, pulling her onto my lap until her arms are around me too and when she finally has to break the kiss for air she presses her forehead to mine as she catches her breath and rubs her nose affectionately to mine with a slight victorious grin. The small display of affection feels childish and foreign but I crave it desperately and return it though still tensely expecting her words.

"Don't hide from me again, Amon." She demands with a slight pout.

"Noatak." I correct to obey that very order, I haven't heard that name in so long that I almost forgot how it sounded.

"Noatak." She repeats with a smile but makes no further comment about the name, choosing to instead say- "Let me love you."

"If that will make you happy." I reply sincerely.

Korra's eyes narrow with sudden suspicion and she stares at me a little sour. "… Do you love me or do you just feel forced to make me happy?"

"If I didn't love you I wouldn't feel obliged to make you happy." I reason without hesitation.

"Then say the words." She pleads, I'm sure she just wants to hear that simple cliché phrase she has never once been told in her whole life. "Please."

"I love you, Korra." I reply to humor her, words are something I've always been good with but that doesn't make these any less honest and I'm shocked by how much I like saying them. "I've loved you from the moment I saw you floating in that stasis chamber."

"What, butt naked?" She laughs for the first time today, it fills me with warmth and makes me smile spontaneously.

"Flawless." I correct her again, caressing her cheek with the back of my fingers for emphasis. It's funny how in just a few minutes our relationship has changed so completely, I never let myself imagine I could have this level of intimacy with her but now it just feels so right that I don't want to let go. "I've come to love you more and more since."

"…" She smiles but that smile dies out and she seems to want to say something important though it won't come out. "Amon… Er, Noatak?"

"Yes?" I wait, wondering what might be troubling her now.

"You're right, I do know what's wrong with me…" Korra looks both sheepish and depressed all at once but I'm pleased that she's finally being truthful even if it's only because she wants to return my sincerity.

"Tell me." I request softly, not wanting to push too hard lest she regret her sudden honesty.

"The Avatar has the Spirit of nature itself in its soul. Bending all the elements takes a toll on our bodies but only because this world is so rotten and out of balance and our health reflects that. That's why all this…" She waves around at the scattered bottles of pills and syrupy liquids that she tossed around in frustration. "…won't fix me. I'm sorry I kept that from you but I was afraid you would give up on me if you knew I was broken beyond repair."

"You aren't broken, you are just suffering for the mistakes of humanity." I state, trying to reign in a sudden burst of anger at how unfair her condition is. Besides even if she was truly broken she wouldn't be the only in this room to be damaged anyway. Nonetheless I'm more determined than ever to fix this disgusting world if not to try and grant her a few more years, I refuse to accept that she cannot be saved. "There must be something we can do."

"If… If I told you I could really change this world… If told I could heal but that it might make the world into something unrecognizable and might bring on a different sort of war, a war that might destroy every single thing you have ever known if we lose… Would you still risk it? Would you trust me?" The look of expectation and pure despair that the Avatar gives me is almost heartbreaking and I get the feeling this is one of those things she's been wanting to talk about for weeks but never managed to do so.

"What are you talking about, Korra?" She's confusing me again, she's the only person to have ever been able to do so but her words are also filling me with a unique mixture of hope and dread.

"There are two portals hidden in this world and if I open them with my powers and the right tools soon I will merge this world with that of the Spirits but I will also unleash a being that… It's complicated." Korra shakes her head and looks even more nervous now, I can feel her fidgeting in her arms but I merely hold her closer.

"Keep going." I coach as gently as I can manage which unfortunately isn't much.

"He is the antithesis of my soul and yet he is part of me too, he is the yin to my yang and the reason the Avatars waste away by using their powers is because we need to subdue that dark side or else it will keep gaining more and more strength and corrupt the worlds throwing them into so much unbalance that, well, you see what our planet is like, don't you?" She grimaces and I nod and watch her- by the way Korra speaks I get the feeling that these aren't her words, that they were passed down to her by some other entity but she believes them with all her heart. "I need to free him and defeat him, he and I are the oldest Spirits, if I open the portals I will unleash a new sort of war and if I win then this world can heal and so can I but if I lose everything will be lost and no living creature will survive until my Spirit is born from within him again many millennia in the future."

Korra looks glum now, her mood has been swaying so much today that it must be exhausting her. I can tell she's been keeping this information a secret for very long because she doesn't know which situation would be worse, she doesn't know if the risk of taking action is even worth it.

To be honest I don't know if I believe her, I've always been a very pragmatic man and I never placed faith in Spirits or Gods at all. It's not that I don't believe Spirits exist, what bender doesn't believe in Yue and La? But the way I see it everything can be explained and all that happens to humanity is a result of human action itself; I think humans who believe that grand Spirits waste time on them are being far too self-important.

"Korra, Spirits are not the reason our world is rotten. Humans and their greed are the only ones to blame and humans are the ones that must fix it." I tell her, hoping she won't feel as responsible for the world that way.

"Humanity isn't inherently evil, Noatak. Vaatu tipped the scale centuries ago and upset the balance, that's why everything has been going to hell since." She lectures me and clings to my clothes. "Please believe me…"

"How do you even know all this?" I wonder, her abilities are still too much of a mystery to me.

"Being constantly forced into Avatar State had unusual results… At first it was a defense mechanism to save my life but eventually it helped me connect with _all_ my past lives and learn all they knew and more." Korra shudders at the memory and I feel nauseous myself just from recalling the bottle and the effect of its electrified devices on her. It's better if I change the direction of this conversation.

"…So you're telling me to abandon my plan and follow yours? A plan to risk your life for everyone else's? A plan that could change everything and fix this nightmare or it could very well fail and put us in an even more unsalvageable position?" I ask these questions merely to be sure that I understood correctly and to put things in clear terms but I'm certain my sarcasm was a little too evident.

"Yes." She says stubbornly.

"No." I reply in a heartbeat.

"I can do it. I'm the Avatar, I'm strong enough to do it!" She insists loudly and pigheadedly.

"I don't doubt that." I state with frankness and hug her closer to keep her from escaping. "But I can't risk you."

"If you don't you'll lose me in the next couple of years anyway. I mastered the elements too young, I don't have that much time left." She's stating facts but it feels to me like she's begging and the argument she just used hurts like a rusty stab right between my ribs.

"…" I falter, unable to find an excuse to deny her further. I don't want to jump head on into this crazy plan and risk everything we've worked so hard for but she IS the Avatar and if anyone has more power than me it's her. Not to mention that we equalists have reached such a state of despair that any hope for immediate victory, no matter how outlandish, is worth hanging on to, no plans are to be discarded.

"If you love me, if you really want to change everything, then trust me." She demands, looking older and wiser than I've ever seen her but also so tired and at wits end that I just want to comfort her.

Rather than answer I embrace her and allow her to rest her head on my shoulder as I hold her close, caressing down her spine and thinking about all she has told me. Korra relaxes but she still looks expectant and a bit depressed as she clings to my clothes and hides her face to the crook of my neck.

"…Where are the portals?" I ask noncommittally after a long silent stretch.

"The Poles." Korra replies cautiously, glancing up at me. Of course, these portals had to be in the most inhospitable places possible.

"I'll tell everyone to get warmer uniforms." I reply evasively, I don't want to admit to caving in so easily but I already know that we are going to do this if not to confirm whether or not the cursed portals exist and if we are going to have to barge into countries that are currently at war then we are going to need our army as well as the best plan we can conjure. Then again, what do we have to lose at this point?

The Avatar smiles so radiantly that for a moment I believe that everything will be alright. She kisses me with gratitude and passion, I kiss back and hold onto her like a lifeline because for the first time I feel like I am not truly alone and that my fight might actually be for something better than hatred and vengeance, for the first time I can hope rather than cling to cold hard facts, for the first time the future is starting to look a little bit brighter in this dismal world, colored by the sky blue of her eyes and light of her smile.

Whether this is the right thing to do or not I will not back down because this time we are in it together, we are strong and nothing can stop us.

~~~~~~.:oOo:.~~~~~~

_(Author's Notes: Weird time-skips again, I'm sorry. I just got too excited writing this and momentarily forgot it was a one-shot, before I knew it I had this whole crazy Universe planned out in my head._

_It was so hard to finish this story because I desperately want to make it a multi-chapter (same thing with the School AU to be honest) but I can't right now… Maybe after "Sugar Momma" is done I'll pick these up again.)_


	5. Day 7- Age Swap AU

Day 7: Age Swap AU

_Warnings: Smut._

_Rating: M_

_Word Count: 7k words_

_Prompt: **Birthday**_

~~~~~~.:oOo:.~~~~~~

How do things change so fast? How is it that you can postpone something for a decade before you've noticed how long it's been? How can you visit a place after a few years and find it completely different?

I sigh and look into my glass of dark purple liquid before I take a quiet sip. I've been sighing all evening but I really can't help myself today, I'm just having a gloomy phase, it will pass.

I wonder what I'm even doing here alone, I could be at a party full of people, my people, my friends, but after all the hard work Asami put in to organize my birthday I just skipped out after half an hour and ended secluding myself here. They are probably pretty offended, I'll have to apologize tomorrow but right now I'm not in the mood to even talk to them… It's not that I'm angry, I'm not even though they threw a party to celebrate my fortieth birthday when I specifically told them not to, no I'm not upset about that, the only thing that ticked me off was that every single one of them showed up with husbands, wives, lovers and even their kids while I just stood there surrounded by love and feeling old and lonely.

I'm not one to care about age and I'm not desperate for a husband, mind you, but suddenly hitting the big 4-0 has made me think about my life from a rather depressing point of view- I'm the Avatar and unless I fall ill or get killed I'll likely have a longer than average life ahead of me, already I'm seeing my friends start to gain wrinkles and turn grey when I'm still as fresh as thirty year old and not only does that make me a little depressed it also makes my love life a mess, not many guys want to stick around with a woman who will always end up looking younger than them, a woman who has to pay her work more attention than them.

One of my former lovers is one of my best friends and married to my other friend, they have two kids already and each day that passes I wonder if I could be the one in Asami's place if I haven't screwed up so spectacularly, I don't love Mako that way anymore but I envy what the two of them have…

My last boyfriend was actually the longest, nobody really expected me to end up with Tahno after so many years of enmity but what can I say? I like guys that are challenging, I like bad boys who I can butts heads with and who are different enough from me that we can complement each other. It really didn't work out though, as soon as he started getting grey hairs he decided he couldn't handle a girlfriend that would be rebellious and juvenile even in his old age, I think the arrogant narcissist was just jealous but it still pissed me off and we broke it up for good a month ago which was a good thing seeing as things hadn't been going well for a year now.

I can't really blame him that much about how bad our relationship got though, neither do I think it's that much my fault either, it's just that ever since I returned to Republic City I've been under far too much work stress to handle Tahno's demanding ways.

I hadn't been in this city for well over ten years, I visit the Air Temple Island sometimes when I'm passing by on my trips elsewhere but I kept postponing coming back here because I was sure I wouldn't want to leave if I did, still I came back almost eleven months ago because a situation was brewing that required my attention- there's this militant group around called the Equalists that have been making a mess, they are trying to start a revolution to take down the government and de-power all the benders in the world since they claim there's a huge gap in social rights between benders and non-benders. The equalist leader calls himself Amon, he's this creepy guy in a mask who can actually block people's bending permanently and he is immensely charismatic and a strategic genius… Unfortunately for him I'm a fully realized Avatar and I'm used to dealing with much more dangerous foes than some social revolutionist so I don't fear him in the least, I know how to energy-bend after all so even his little block doesn't scare me.

I've been taking down their little plans and coups for months, I even discovered that Asami's retired and estranged father had been sponsoring them and I put him out of the picture as well, I could have already squashed the group completely if that sleazy little politician didn't keep trying to steal my thunder with his task force! I don't care that Tarrlok's the youngest politician to get a seat in the senate, I want to slap him for getting in my way just for a little extra credit, if not for his constant need to show off and recurrent habit of proving Amon right by abusing his power over the population I could have already have ended this skirmish.

Nonetheless, it's only a matter of time before the Equalists fall completely and they know that just as much as I do, they know it so well that they've begun to try and compromise with me and form a truce but I won't budge on it, I'm not the sort of person to give in when I have the upper hand, I won't waste time trying to be diplomatic, I'll defeat them completely and be on my way because all this sneaky fighting and stupidly delicate social balance is getting on my nerves and I'm depressed enough with my private life without having the stress of my Avatar duties wearing me down too.

I sigh again, I wish I could just go home to the South Pole and curl up with Naga and hibernate for a year. That's how stressed I am and I can't even talk to my friends about it because they just call me foolish, they'll remind me that I've faced worse enemies and they'll tell me to enjoy single life.

This speakeasy is surprisingly empty, it's actually quite the popular little place near the Republic City Theater but at the moment the slow twangs of some musical instrument roll in the background and only half a dozen people other than myself pepper the large dimly lit establishment, I guess since it's a work day there aren't many people free to hang around bars. I'd actually like the place to be crowded, that way I could blend in better and maybe even get into some tavern brawl as a distraction but instead I'm left to my thoughts, sitting in my little corner of the bar sipping on some strange drink that is way too sweet for my tastes but that burns in my stomach like molten lead.

I swirl my glass and peer into the last dregs of pink liquor. I've never been a light-weight and I only feel mildly buzzed but I might drunker than I thought- wasn't my drink purple just moments ago? Actually, wasn't the stuff I started with blue? I recall that I just asked the bartender for the strongest thing he had around, his grin made his long thin mustache twitch and then he served me something that I had never tried before but that now leaves me wondering just how strong it really was.

"You're not as drunk as you think." A young voice startles me and I turn to my right towards it.

A young man is sitting two stools down from me, I can't really tell how old he is but he can't be much older than his mid-twenties. He's very tall and built as delectably as any warrior I've ever known; by his short wolftailed hairstyle, the cinnamon hue of his skin and the pallor of his icy eyes I'm guessing he's as Water Tribe as I am but what really catches my attention is that snickering smirk that lifts one of the corners of his lips and makes him surprisingly handsome and irritatingly smug.

"Excuse me?" I enquire carelessly.

"You're staring into your glass with a puzzled look on your face and probably wondering how drunk you really are, right?" He chuckles, it's a deep rusty sound that I find quite lyrical. "Likely because you're asking yourself if you drank too much to remember colors of if you switched drinks and can't remember it."

"How do you…?" I trail off looking from him to my glass and back at him.

"Liu likes to prank newbies like that." The young man nods at the barman on the other side of the counter who has his back to us as he cleans the counter. "It's kitsunebi, a local beverage with very high alcohol content and a curious little chemical reaction. When it's cold, straight out of the ice box, it looks dark blue but as it warms it turns purple and eventually pink when it hits room temperature."

"Oh." I mutter at the explanation, it certainly makes sense now.

"So if you're not seeing double or feeling giggly or something of the like then you are likely not that drunk yet." The man next to me smiles charmingly, it's still that crooked grin but softer now.

"Thanks." I nod and swallow down the last dregs of the drink.

"No problem." He grins further as well and waves at the bartender. "Hey Liu, get some saké for the lady, it seems more up her alley. Put it on my tab."

The mustached barman nods curtly and retreats in search of the requested beverage.

"Aren't you a little young to run a tab in a speakeasy?" I accuse without any bite.

"Aren't you a little old to be drinking alone?" He shoots back at me nonchalantly.

"Since when does age have anything to do with how a person drinks?" I frown at the question, no woman likes being called old even in this context.

"Exactly." He replies with yet another chuckle and I realize he's just answered my question.

"…Good one." I admit reluctantly. He's sharp, I'm not sure if I like that or if I find it annoying.

"So, how come such a fine lady as yourself is wasting time alone in this little joint on a week day? Given that you didn't even know about kitsunebi I doubt you're that much of a liquor enthusiast." He enquires, sipping on a clear bluish drink I hadn't noticed before.

"And you are?" I snap back to avoid replying. It's none of his business really.

"Hardly, I just happen to have friends here." The young retorts and stares at me, still expecting an answer.

"If you must know I'm…" What am I supposed to say? I don't want to sound weak or whiny if I admit to drowning my petty sorrows so I better just stick with… "Celebrating, I guess."

"Celebrating?" He asks skeptically and I notice that his brow raises slightly at the topic.

"It's my birthday and I'm celebrating it the way I want- independently without any silly fancy parties." I think I sound too snippy and not at all convincing but who cares?

"My, my… It's a special day then." Both his brows raise this time and he turns to the bartender that is already approaching with a bottle of the previously ordered drink. "Liu, cancel the saké. Bring us beer with emberglow shots, it's more celebration worthy."

"Sure, kid." The mustached man pauses with a questioning look on his face and then shrugs, he puts away the white ceramic bottle and starts to filling mugs of frothy golden beer.

"You don't have to buy my drinks, I'm not that kind of woman." I tell my unexpected conversation partner, hoping that he's not getting the wrong message.

"Relax lady, I just find you interesting enough to kill some time with." He replies as charmingly as he has been so far and pushes a mug and a shot glass my way once they are placed on the counter. "So why don't you just stop worrying and accept the free booze, no strings attached?"

"Fine then." Why the hell not? It's free drinks and guy is nice so what's the big deal about accepting? I grab the beer and bring it to my lips but he raises a hand to stop me.

"Ah, that's not how you drink that." He chuckles and lifts up the small shot glass then drops it in his beer mug, the tiny glass sinks in and the drink starts to fizz as if it's boiling. "This is how you drink it."

The guy quickly proceeds to gulp down his beverage before all the fizzing dies out, I follow his lead and drop my own shot glass into the narrow mug before starting to guzzle down the booze much like my companion and once we're done he turns to me with a smug toothy grin. I have to gasp for air, I can feel my head spinning a little, there's a sensation like soda bubbles in my throat and my whole body feels warm but that was likely the most amusing thing to happen to me tonight.

"Ok, that was fun." I admit with an embarrassing giggle.

"Want another?" He's already ordering another round even as he speaks.

"You trying to get an old lady drunk?" I ask jokingly.

"You're not that old, ma'am." He replies just as playfully.

"You think? Want to guess my age?" This is actually a favorite game of mine, nobody ever gets my age right and when I tell them the exact number the slack-jawed look on most people's faces is always priceless.

"I doubt I'll get it right, I've always been lousy at judging appearances." He dodges tactfully.

"That so?" I snicker, aware that he's trying not to offend me though I doubt he could.

"Yes, I rather judge people on standards much more important than age or appearance, I'd rather judge people by their actions and opinions." The reply is surprisingly mature but naïve enough that I can't help but chuckle.

"You say that now, wait until you're a few decades older with a pile of bad experiences on your back. You won't be so virtuous then." I tell him, perhaps a tad too bitterly.

"What makes you think I'm that virtuous now?" The young man wonders with a squid-shark like smirk.

"You're young." I retort confidently.

"Who's judging whom now?" He counters mockingly.

"Ugh, the way you twist a conversation is really infuriating." I grimace, he caught me again. His skill at twisting my words reminds me of someone, of a little arrogant politician I know, but somehow I find this guy a lot more intriguing and easy to talk to than Tarrlok.

"I apologize, I didn't mean to sour your mood." He backtracks at once, looking truly apologetic.

"You didn't." I wave the matter off. I'm curious about him now, rather than brag he apologized, why would he do that? I wouldn't do that. "What's your name?"

"My name…" He appears to hesitate slightly but then just smiles again. "Noatak."

"I'm Korra." I announce, waiting to the usual inevitable spark of recognition.

"Nice to meet you." The young man bows his head respectfully but isn't fazed in the least.

"That's it?" I wonder, more than a little surprised.

"What is?" He tilts his head, looking a little baffled.

"Just 'nice to meet you'?" Does he not know who I am? Really? That's… new.

"What else should I say?" He asks innocently.

"Nothing, never mind." I shake my head. I'm just not used to being treated so politely by people who don't know I'm the Avatar, I'm not used to anyone being this easygoing around me.

Suddenly, I'm getting a lot more interested in this guy.

"Well then…" He trails off, drops a second shot glass into a second beer and raises his mug. "A birthday toast. May you have many more, Korra."

I mimic his actions with the drinks and raise my own mug, clinking it with his. "Thanks."

I practically race him to see who can finish this round the fastest, we finish our drinks practically at the same time and bicker about who finished last only to realize how silly it is and break into laughter.

A few rounds later I find myself outside sitting under a full moon on the ledge of some strange balcony, eating fire flakes and sharing not alcohol but iced ginger tea with the guy from the bar. I vaguely remember leaving the bar with the young man and getting invited to his house, I don't recall arriving or deciding to sit on the balcony with yet another type of beverage but here I am and the tea and snacks are soothing my stomach and helping me recover some of my precious sobriety.

Nonetheless I'm still giggling at his anecdotes about city life and drunken adventures with other people from the bar we were just at, apparently this guy is friends with the barman himself and has seen a lot of unusual reactions to drunkenness in the establishment. Noatak is just about done telling a story about an old balding police officer that drank too much emberglow, mistook him for a girl and kept flirting in the most outrageous manner, saying he looking as pretty as the Painted Lady if only he'd grow out his hair- I can't help but burst out laughing at the story and nearly fall off the ledge, it would be just a few feet fall but he grabs me around the waist anyway and pulls me back before I slip.

I end up falling over him in the balcony and apologize between giggles that refuse to go away but he just laughs along with me and doesn't bother pushing me off his lap at all as he calls me 'ditzy birthday girl', I counter by saying that right now I'm actually a 'birthnight girl' but I think he's laughing more at the stupidity of the remark than at the actual inebriated joke I'm trying to make.

"I like you, Korra. You're more amusing than I expected." Noatak states between bouts of rumbling laughter that vibrate through my body in the most delicious way.

"I like you too, kiddo." I grin, goofily I'm sure, and lean closer to him, practically crawling over his body. "I like you a lot, actually."

"Careful, Korra." He teases, bopping my nose with the tip of his finger. "It almost looks like you're coming onto me."

"Is that a complaint I hear?" I wrinkle my nose at the touch and then rub it to his in a playful little display of affection. I can almost taste the tea and alcohol in his breath and he's been getting more and more touchy-feely so I know he's not averse to this, he invited me to his house, for crying out loud.

"Not at all, ma'am." Noatak appears to glance at my lips and then back at my eyes with a predatory smile. "But are you sure an old lady like you can keep up with me?"

"You sure a kid like you has enough skill for a woman like me?" I mock, licking my lips with growing anticipation.

"Oh, I'm sure you'd find me pleasing enough." He snickers cockily. "But I thought you said you weren't that kind of girl?"

"I'm making an exception." I kiss him way too hard but I was losing my patience with his little hard-to-get act, I'm too old to waste time dancing around what I want, then again it might have nothing to do with age since I've always been this way.

Noatak kisses back with just as much fire and passion, I've had eager partners before but the way his tongue snakes into my mouth and his lips crush mine in a bruising mash is almost too delicious to describe, I even like how our tongues battle each other in a slippery fire-flake flavored dance for control.

I break the kiss to gauge at his reaction but I don't even get a chance to look at his face because he's already planting kisses down my jaw and throat and murmuring into my ear something about his bed being a lot more comfortable than the concrete of the balcony. What a forward guy… I really do like him.

He actually carries me to bed, I'm not that drunk anymore and could have walked myself but I didn't expect him to be so strong and that surprises me enough to make me forget about objecting. Noatak was right too- he's bed with its down comforters is so fluffy that I almost feel like I'm sinking in clouds but I don't get to think about it too much because suddenly I'm tangled to him again, rolling all over the mattress until I'm straddling him and kissing him heatedly again.

I practically rip his shirt open, popping a whole lot of buttons in the process but he doesn't seem to mind at all and keeps kissing me back and practically sucking my tongue into his mouth while my hands roam on his hard muscular chest, tracing over the occasional little scar as his own hands take their sweet time slipping under my shirt and gliding up my body.

In yet another bout of impatience I sit up and toss off my shirt and bra altogether, watching the impressed and mildly stunned expression on his face as he admires my naked torso and generous bosom- they always stare, I'll never get the deal between guys and boobs but they always ogle mine like they're rare gems… I can't say I don't like the attention though.

I bend down to kiss him yet again and I feel his hand caress up my spine, it sends a slight shiver down my back and I don't complain at all when he pulls my hair loose of its main ponytail so it falls around me in a messy mane of chestnut locks, in fact I'm really that drunk anymore but I'm still all giggly and start to kiss along the strong line of his collarbone while I press to his delectable body.

The night is hot, my birthday falls right in the middle of one the hottest summer months and so the air around us is balmy and humid even with the slight breeze from the balcony but I can't unglue my body from his even when perspiration starts to dew on our skin, I actually feel the slightly salty taste of sweat as I lick down his chest in the most mesmerizing manner and the way he gasps when I slip off his pants makes me grin.

I like teasing my partners, I like how they fall apart so easily from something as simple as my mouth on their body, I like the way I can make strong proud men pant, moan, whimper and even beg just by licking and sucking the right spots in the right way but Noatak appears to have the same idea because he doesn't let me get that far. I'm not sure when he turned tables on me, I'm still a little woozy, but I find myself lying on my back in that cozy bed while he slowly slips off the rest of my clothing in an almost reverent way.

His hands gliding up my strong dark legs make me bite my lip with anticipation and the way he licks up my inner thigh with his eyes locked with mine is almost too sensual to describe, he's so slow and teasing that I almost want to feed myself to him and hold him to my crotch by his hair but I hold back because I know these ideas might just be the alcohol talking.

He was right when he said I'd find him pleasing enough, by the Spirits was he _right_! If I hadn't just met him I would have sworn that we've been together for years, he knows just what makes me tick, his tongue has a life of its own and although slightly sloppy and overly enthusiastic it is still talented to always stroke just right on that little spot that makes my legs quiver and rips moans from my throat.

My fingers tangle in his hair out of instinct when his suddenly explore my slippery depths, moving in time with the caresses of his skilled tongue. I cling to him and feel that tingly coil of pleasure growing stronger and stronger until it snaps, leaving me breathless while choked cries spill from my lips as my whole body twitches in his grasp, I can almost see stars behind closed lids that I can barely open even when I feel his weight crawling onto me and his hand cups my cheek softly.

"My, my… You are shockingly beautiful when you come, Korra." He purrs the words in the most outrageous tone, that voice makes me crave so much more and the sudden butterflies his little comment left in my stomach are making me self-conscious about the heat of his body pressing to mine.

"More." I demand, speaking into his lips as I pull him into a heated kiss.

"More?" Noatak murmurs between wet kisses, tracing up my flat stomach and flicking the dark pebbles of my nipples just hard enough to make me whimper. "More of what exactly? What would like, Korra?"

He's mocking me, apparently he gets has much pleasure from teasing his partners as I often do and I'm not sure whether that makes us incompatible or if it makes us even more perfect together than I thought, so far I'm leaning towards the latter option, I never knew not being the one in charge could be so… Satisfying.

"Take me." I plead on tenterhooks, wrapping my arms around his neck and my legs around his narrow waist for some shred of control.

"As you wish." Noatak retorts with a conniving smirk that could easily make me swoon if I were a teenager again. Scratch that, it makes me swoon anyway.

He kisses me again, I'm starting to like the shape of his lips pressed to mine a bit too much and the way his hands frame my hips to hold me in place makes me feel overpowered but I like it far more than I'll ever admit. I can feel him invading my body and I'm only vaguely aware that there's a condom between us, I didn't even think about the need for one until now but I'm glad one of us did; I'm shocked by just how well-endowed he is but I can't complain- I love the tight stretch and I revel in the sensation of every little ridge of his length grinding so deliciously to sensitive spots inside my body that I often I forget exist.

The pace is slow but he's not really gentle at all, he pushes into me deeply and hard enough that I feel the heated velvety tip of his shaft slam to the end of my channel and it makes a shudder crawl up my spine with every single thrust; every time his hips are flush against my body I can't help but let a moan slip out and every time he retreats little whimpered gasps dance on my lips. Noatak seems to like the sounds and when his hands crawl up to grope my generous breasts, making them change shape like dough in his large hands, and pinch my hardened nipples I can't help but let the noises spill out even louder.

I feel like I'm melting, sweat is starting to slide between my breasts and down my neck and the area between my legs is so sodden with slippery fluids of arousal that I can hear the wet sounds of our bodies smacking together all too lewdly. The rhythm is starting to pick up and I'm starting to become aware of the delicious sounds he makes too- he lets out the faintest panted moans that could easily be mistaken with pain if it were not for the intense way his face twists and look of utter passion in his icy eyes. I like that look, I like it so much that I'm sure I'll be thinking about it for months.

My nails start to rake down his back and he bites into my shoulder in return, I end up crying out as the dull pain of his teeth mingles so deliciously with the mind-numbing pleasure, it's rare to find a partner that won't mind the stinging pain I often inflict in the throes of passion but rather than complain or pin my hands down like so many others he actually appears to enjoy the scratches to his back, I'm pretty I'm clawing hard enough to break the skin but it just spurs him to quicken our pace and the bites and sucked bruises that he plants on my body in return are just this side of too painful and perfect to make everything else feel all the more intense.

He's a perfect match for me but I want some control back, the way he's delaying this to drive me insane is starting to do just that and my impatient self can't take it anymore. I hold onto Noatak tightly and without breaking our contact I roll onto him, straddling his hips and sitting up to ride my young lover almost frantically. My body undulates over his like wild waves during a storm and his hands are clinging to my thighs so tightly that I'm sure I'll have finger-shaped bruises in the morning but that doesn't stop me from moving faster and faster.

I toss my head back to get the hair off my face and let out delighted moans, that delightful peak is so close that I can almost taste it and this fast pace that makes sweat drip between my shoulder blades and down my cleavage is making dizzy but I just crave more and more of it.

Noatak suddenly shifts and sits up, he wraps his arms around me and forces me to slow down. I whine and barely register the words 'be patient' before I see him burying his face in my breasts; I can feel him kissing and biting just right to make me practically squeal in his arms for the several long minutes of slow lovemaking and teasing that he's subjecting me too.

I'm practically begging him to give me more, I'm pretty sure I order him to fuck me senseless but it just makes him laugh and lie back down, grinning mischievously though his hair is plastered to his perspired face and he's panting along with me.

"If you want it so much then go right ahead." Noatak snickers breathlessly as he allows me to pick up the pace again.

My hands are on his shoulders for purchase as I make the thrusts so much deeper and faster that I'm practically on the razor sharp edge of desire and the grinding of his steel-hard length in my heated core is wiring me so tightly that I'm sure I'm breathing out sparks of wayward bending.

"Fuck, Korra… At this pace…" He trails off in a teeth-grinding groan. Apparently I'm not the only one at my limit and that knowledge makes me glow with the strangest sort of vanity.

The sneaky bastard suddenly turns the tables on me again, he doesn't really move from his position but he's meeting my strokes to perfection and his hand slips between our bodies to rub my swollen little pearl with his thumb.

It's far too much to endure and I end up clinging to him as I try to ride out the mind-blowing climax that shoots through every nerve in my body like the waters over a broken dam washing me away, it makes me see white and causes me to lose control over my own muscles that spasm automatically so that I collapse over him in a shivering mess of sweaty limbs. I can see now why he touched me and practically forced the orgasm out of me- he wanted our timing to match and it did, I can't remember the last time I came at the same time as my partner but damn… It's amazing.

I can't get enough of the way he clings to me, the way his spams match mine, that look on his face, those heavy lidded eyes with dilated pupils, those parted lips from which unrestrained groans slip out, that flush on his beautifully sculpted young face and the way he holds me in a mess of sweaty tangled limbs as we catch our breaths and enjoy the almost intoxicating high. I could get addicted to this, to him.

"You… You really are beautiful when you come…" He murmurs out between pants and his hand tiredly runs through my damp hair. "But you're even prettier like this, Avatar Korra."

I want to answer, I want to tell him that I find him just as handsome right now but as I prepare to reply, the playful giggle dies out on my lips and I finally register his words and look at him with a slight frown starting to form on my face.

Avatar Korra. So he knew who I was from the start.

"So now it's Avatar, huh?" I mutter a little sourly. I don't know why I'm feeling hurt, I guess I just hoped he had liked me for me and not because of my title, maybe he does but now I can't be sure.

"You thought I didn't know?" He sounds amused and his breath is starting to come more evenly. "I suppose you also thought it was a coincidence that I was at the bar?"

"What are you talking about?" I want to sit up but I'm feeling too sluggish so I just lie next to him with suspicious eyes.

"I was after you from the start, I have been for a while now but you are hard to catch alone." Noatak smiles charmingly and faces me without a shred of shame.

"That so?" Now I'm even more wary. "Why not just talk to me?"

"I tried but you weren't open to negotiation." He shrugs slightly but that smile is still there.

"Negotiation?" My surprise shows through and my eyes narrow with further suspicion. "…Who are you really?"

"I was surprised you didn't recognize my voice right away." Noatak chuckles and traces his own face to emphasize his next words. "Perhaps it's just not the same without the mask."

"… You're Amon?" I smirk skeptically. I was actually afraid of the masked man at first but I eventually just became irritated with his scheming and intrigued by his powers, now… Well, I can't believe the leader of a massive revolution is so young and easygoing. "You? Seriously?"

"Is that so hard to believe?" He's almost nonchalant about it but I'm starting to recognize the voice, it's softer and more jovial without the mask but quite the same.

"What do you want?" I finally sit up and cross my arms, I'm not ashamed of my nudity or angry as I should be, I'm actually weirdly curious. Maybe it's just because the afterglow of delicious sex is keeping me from thinking rationally.

"As you know, I've been wanting to discuss a truce with you. I had planned to do so tonight whether you wanted or not." Noatak's reply is so dark that now I'm really sure he's Amon but I'm still unfazed.

"And how would you do that?" I ask defiantly.

"Oh, we had a plan feed you a spiked drink and carry you to our base where we would discuss the matter with force if need be." He retorts so casually that I almost don't believe him but then I remember the confused look on the barman's face when he changed the order from sake to beer and it starts to make sense- they were in it together.

"Why didn't you?" I want to get defensive but instead I'm curious as to what changed such a competent plan.

"You didn't recognize me. And you were… different from what I expected." For the first time he looks away and a slight flush colors his ears pink, I wonder what he means by all this. "So I changed plans and decided that we could do this amicably."

"You call sleeping with me amicable?" I almost want to laugh.

"Isn't it?" He _does_ laugh and I find it hard not to smirk as well.

"Well, as amusing as it was I'm not about to give in to Equalist demands." I state, trying very hard to sound serious and unmovable.

"Aren't you?" Noatak doesn't seem worried and that innerves me.

"No." I state with finality, ready for all his arguments.

"Alright." He smiles yet again, it's so carefree that I frown suspiciously again.

"That's it? Just 'alright'?" I wonder, this can't be all there is to it, he's up to something.

"Yes. If you refuse to compromise I won't force you." His words are perfectly polite.

"You won't?" I'm so suspicious now that I can feel an odd tingle on the nape of my neck, a tell-tale sign that something is wrong.

"No." He shakes his head and then makes a phony pensive expression. "However…"

"However what?" I snap a little impatiently.

"Avatar Korra, what exactly is the age of adulthood in the United Republic?" Noatak asks.

"Twenty-one." I reply, wondering where he's going with this. In the Water Tribe it's sixteen so I kind of wonder if he's asking because he really doesn't know or if he's up to something, I'm sure it's the latter.

"Oh my… We are in a rather awkward situation then." The fake air of surprise he puts on ticks me off a little.

"How so?" I insist, I'm starting to get annoyed.

"I'm not even twenty yet." Noatak smirks at me, it's that predatory squid-shark grin again but now it makes me nervous rather than makes me swoon. "Oh dear, very awkward indeed. The Avatar sleeping with a minor she picked up in a bar, of all places? I wonder what would happen to your reputation if this little escape of ours became public…"

"Son-of-a-bitch." I'm trying to stay angry but to be honest I'm impressed, I never imagined someone so young could lead a whole revolution and the fact that he's trapped someone as powerful and experienced as me so well is pretty impressive. He has a huge pair of balls to do this to someone as fearsome as me yet he's not being arrogant but confident to unusual heights and he was willing to risk himself like this and do _everything_ for his cause… Somehow I'm starting to respect this guy in some twisted way.

"Come on, Korra. Don't be stubborn, we could end this war in a way that would benefit us both." He pleads with that charming tone that makes my insides do flip-flops. "And you know you liked what we had tonight, I did too. We can be a phenomenal match together and nobody would have to know so long as you agree to compromise with us."

"You used me and you still think I'll let you come near me again after tonight?" I shoot at him acidly even though he's right and I really do wish I could repeat the night again… It's not about a relationship of course, not after a single night, we're just such a good match and this is a guy that probably won't complain about looking old before me so it could be fun to explore this strange chemistry of ours.

"Yes, I did use you but it was for a higher cause and I truly enjoyed it nonetheless. I could have gone with the original plan but I liked you enough that I opted for this route." Noatak defends rationally.

"I could just shut you up right now and nobody would know." I counter a little darkly, I wouldn't ever kill a person for such a selfish reason but the threat has worked well in the past.

"You could but there are witnesses that you left with me, the scandal would affect you anyway and wouldn't it be easier to avoid the drama and just enjoy this peaceful solution?" He offers, completely unfazed by the menace.

"And what exactly are you asking of me?" To be honest I'm starting to cave, I know I've been stubborn about this matter for months but that's just how I am- I want to win it all rather than compromise but perhaps this time being a little humble might work out for the best.

"You know the answer to that, I've sent you that information time and time again. I'll cease blocking people's bending and my troops will retire but in return there have to be bigger penalties for bender criminals who abuse their skills, there has to be an equal number of non-benders and benders in the senate, social equality between both sides and redistribution of wealth must be promoted and so on." He recites and then waves the matter off because he's right, I do know all this already.

"…" I hesitate and my lips quirk. I'm too stubborn to admit it but I want to accept his offer.

"Well…?" He enquires when I take too long to reply.

"I'll consider it." It's the best I can manage. If only I could agree and still have the upper hand and feel proud I'd definitely just accept and put this matter behind me.

"What about the rest of the government?" Noatak doesn't seem satisfied yet.

"If I accept the deal so will they. I've gained enough respect as Avatar over the years." I snicker because it's true, they called me to fix this matter so they have to bow to what I decide concerning it.

"I need more than just a maybe." He's so serious that it's annoying me, I want that cocky smirk back. Actually, I want it enough that I've decided what I'm going to do- he can get his little truce but in return I get him.

"I'll accept it to avoid bloodshed and if you keep your mouth shut about tonight and… If you can prove to me just how much you like me." I grin and move close, tapping his nose much like he did to me when I was so inebriated earlier.

"Hm…" The smirk starts to spread on his face and he pounces and pins we down under his body with his hands lacing into mine. "That shouldn't be a problem at all, Korra."

~~~~~~.:oOo..~~~~~~

_(Author's Note: I finally managed to finish this! Family illnesses and work have been getting in the way so I haven't had time to do anything for myself lately. _

_This is the last one-shot for my Amorra AU Week submissions, the remaining two (Crossover AU and Historical AU) will be posted on tumblr as fanart._

_This one-shot works under the fandom headcanon that Avatars can live longer lives with extended youth such as Avatar Kyoshi who lived to be 230. It's not a theory I usually accept in my stories at all but I figured it would be fun for this one so I adopted it just this once._

_And since people have been asking- yes, I might continue the College AU and the Sci-Fi AU after I finish my "Sugar Momma" story.)_


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